


World In White

by Jude_Rigby



Series: Beware Of Darkness [4]
Category: Castle (TV 2009)
Genre: F/M, Family, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:35:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 120,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27918322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jude_Rigby/pseuds/Jude_Rigby
Summary: Castle and Beckett head to the Hamptons for their first Christmas with Julia. Old and new traditions merge as they celebrate the holidays by the sea. Fourth in the Beware of Darkness series.
Relationships: Kate Beckett & Richard Castle, Kate Beckett/Richard Castle
Series: Beware Of Darkness [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2006014
Kudos: 4





	1. This Time Of Year

**Author's Note:**

> The title of this story is a lyric from the song New Year's Day by U2, from their album War. And the title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Wonderful Christmastime by Paul McCartney, that can be found on the 1993 reissue of the Wings album Back To the Egg.

Picking up her bag, Beckett pulled out her scarf and gloves and put them on her desk as she glanced up to see Castle walking up to her. "Behind you," she said as she looked down at her bag once he was next to her.

"Looks like you made it on time to pick up Julia," Ryan said as he and Esposito stood next to Castle.

"I did," Beckett said, looking at her watch though she already knew the time.

"So where are you going? You never told us what you're doing for Christmas," Esposito said.

"It wasn't for sure," Beckett replied, closing her bag. "But we're heading up to my dad's cabin."

"That'll be nice, Julia should enjoy the snow," Castle said. "I'm guessing she didn't get outside much before?"

"No," Beckett said, looking at her phone to try not to smile at the ridiculousness of the question. But it helped make it seem like he didn't spend a lot of time around her and her daughter. "But guys, I'm going off grid as I want this time with my daughter, and just relax and enjoy Christmas."

"Got it," Esposito said, Ryan and Castle nodding in agreement. "But tell our _sobrina_ Merry Christmas from her uncles."

"I will, and thank you for the gifts you got her," Beckett said with a smile. "She's enjoyed them greatly."

"Told you I got a great gift for her," Esposito said to Ryan.

"What're you guys doing?" Beckett said as she started to put on her coat.

"Jenny and I are heading to spend Christmas with her family this year in Florida, we're flying," Ryan said. "Tomorrow because we have a little break in the weather so we're taking the chance while we can."

"I'm just hanging out with some friends on Christmas," Esposito said.

"Did you guys end up doing your Madden thing," Castle asked.

"Hell yes," Esposito said.

"So what are your plans Castle? Staying in the city?" Ryan asked, shooting a glare at Esposito so he wouldn't go on about how he'd won most of the matches they'd played against each other.

"No, actually my mother and Alexis were talking about a change of scenery, so we're heading out to the Hamptons tomorrow afternoon," Castle said. "Oh, speaking of which," he said, looking at his watch though he didn't really focus on the time. "I need to head out."

"Last minute gifts I'm guessing," Beckett said.

"No, I'm all set, but I need to get the last of the decorations, Alexis is insisting that we decorate the same as we do here in the city," Castle said. "And I couldn't say no to my daughter of course."

"I'm sure you couldn't," Beckett said as she tucked her scarf under her coat and buttoned it up.

"Merry Christmas guys," Castle said, wanting to comment on that, but knowing she wanted him to leave first. "See you next year."

"Merry Christmas Castle," Ryan called out. After Esposito and then Beckett had said the same thing he turned to her and said, "Leaving now?"

"I need to," Beckett said. "I don't want to make her teacher stay behind to watch her and delay her own holiday plans. Have a great Christmas guys, and New Year's too." She then headed to the elevators, looking at her watch as she went. She heard Ryan and Esposito wishing her happy holidays, but she was mentally cursing herself for taking so long to prepare to leave. She only hoped her daughter wasn't going to become worried as she wasn't going to be able to make it in time to get her right at two thirty. But she had a feeling Julia wouldn't care, only happy to have finally reached her Christmas break; something she startlingly agreed with.

* * *

Coloring in more green on her picture, Julia nodded her head from side to side at the song that was playing on her teacher's tablet. Since she was the only student left in the class, her teacher had allowed her to listen to music of her choice. She hummed at the Paul McCartney song from the album she had chosen; _New_ ; and picked out a crayon in blue. She was so focused on her coloring that she didn't realize someone was sitting across from the table she was at until they spoke.

"Not ready to go home yet?" Beckett asked with a smile, having watched Julia as she'd entered the room.

"Mommy!" Julia said happily as she looked up and saw who it was. She got off her chair and ran around to her mother, hugging her tightly as Beckett put her on her lap. "Is it Christmas now?" she asked eagerly.

"Not yet, but now you're on vacation for two weeks," Beckett replied. She smiled when Julia squealed softly in excitement and she pushed the dark blue Santa hat she'd bought earlier in the month for her daughter off her forehead so it wasn't going onto her eyes. "Are you ready to go?" she asked her. "Or do you want to color more?"

"I want to go," Julia said. But before her mother could help her down she asked, "Can I have a kiss Mommy?"

"Of course," Beckett said, sharing a kiss with her. "Let's go," she said in a low voice since Mrs. Clayton was in the room. "Castle's going to get there before us and we still need to finish packing okay?" When her daughter nodded she helped her clean up the crayons she used and picked up the picture while Julia ran to her teacher to say goodbye.

"Thank you so much for the gift," Mrs. Clayton said, giving Julia a hug. "My daughter loves the candle and she put it in her room."

"You're welcome," Julia said shyly.

"I hope you have a great Christmas and New Year Julia, and I'll see you in January," Mrs. Clayton told the little girl before she stood. "Happy Holidays Ms. Beckett," she said with a smile as Julia went to her mother.

"Happy Holidays," Beckett said with a smile before leading her daughter to where her coat was at the entrance to the classroom. Bundling up Julia and making sure the little girl had her mittens on; she went outside and was relieved to see the weather was holding; not looking forward to a drive in the snow. After getting back to their building, she took Julia to their apartment and as soon as they had gotten their things off, she went to her daughter's room as the little girl colored at the coffee table.

Zipping closed her daughter's suitcase, Beckett turned to take it out to the door when she saw Julia was standing in the doorway, watching her. "What's wrong sweetie?" she asked, wondering how long she'd been there.

"When do we go Mommy?" Julia asked as she followed Beckett to the entry and then back to her room.

"Whenever Castle gets here," Beckett replied as she set Julia on top of her bed.

"Are we really going to the beach?" Julia asked, looking at her Stitch doll as her mother packed up a few things before closing her suitcase.

"We are, but that doesn't mean you can swim," Beckett said, setting her suitcase on the floor. "It's going to be too cold."

"Then what do we do?" Julia asked as Beckett sat next to her.

"Well," Beckett said as Julia climbed onto her lap. "There's decorating, and you have a few last minute things to wrap. Plus I'm bringing my tablet so you'll have games to play."

"Does Santa bring me toys?" Julia asked eagerly.

"He might, I don't know," Beckett said, kissing her forehead. "I won't know until you open your gifts on Christmas morning."

The bell for the door rang then, and Julia said eagerly, "It's Castle, can I open the door?"

"Go ahead, but remember to make sure it's him," Beckett said, setting her down. She smiled as she followed her daughter; who ran out to the door; and had to marvel at what a difference half a year had made. She was pleased at the relationship Julia and Castle had, since she had been worried her daughter was going to remain afraid of her boyfriend. But as Julia opened the door once Castle had answered that it was him and threw herself into his arms, she was relieved that he had worked so hard to get closer to the little girl.

"I guess you're ready to go," Castle said as he tried to set Julia down but she wouldn't let go of his neck. He turned to Beckett after he'd closed the door behind him, and was going to reach out to her when she suddenly said she'd forgotten her suitcase and left.

"Mommy will come back," Julia said to him. "Did you see my hat?"

"I did," Castle said. "It's nice," he told her as he set her down on the ground. "Are those presents?" he whispered to her, pointing to two boxes that were on top of each other.

Giggling, Julia nodded and said, "Mommy said they're surprises."

"Do you know what she got me?" Castle asked.

"I'm not suppose to tell," Julia said, shaking her head before she squeezed her lips closed.

"I wouldn't try to inveigle the answer out of her," Beckett said, coming back then with her suitcase in tow. "Especially since she really has no clue what I got you."

"Well, I had to give it a try," Castle said, ruffling Julia's hair through her hat, making her laugh before he fixed it for her. "So are we set?"

"I think so," Beckett said absently as she looked around at the two suitcases and three boxes. She was trying to go over the gifts in her mind to remember if she had everything, when she was abruptly turned around and she found Castle's lips on hers. She was a little taken aback, but recovered quickly and kissed him back briefly before they parted.

"I wanted to do that before I left the station, but I'm pretty sure there would have been a problem if I had," Castle said.

"Good thing you waited," Beckett said. "Okay, we're ready to go, and I'd like to get out to the Hamptons before it starts to snow."

"Are you ready Julia?" Castle asked the little girl who was watching them.

"Yes please," Julia said, a little surprised when the two started to laugh. "What, Mommy?"

"Nothing, grab your suitcase and then we'll go out to the beach house," Beckett said, giving her the handle for her case. She took her suitcase and a box before they stepped out into the hall and she locked her door.

"Mrs. Parker, nice to see you again," Castle said as they started to walk down the hallway.

"I was hoping to catch you before you left," the older woman said. "Do I need to feed Julia's fish today?"

"No, it's set," Beckett replied. "So you have today off. But thank you so much for doing this for us," she said, touching Julia's shoulder.

"Thank you," the little girl quickly said. "I told Kauai not to get scared 'cause you feed him, so he will be good."

"I'm sure he will be," Mrs. Parker said with a smile. "Have a wonderful Christmas."

"You too," Beckett said before they continued to the elevator. When they were inside and going down to the building's parking she felt Julia tug her hand and asked, "Are you cold?"

"No, but did Mrs. Parker get her present?" the little girl asked.

"She'll see it tomorrow when she goes to feed your fish," Beckett said.

"What did you get her?" Castle asked.

"I made a snowflake in my class for a tree," Julia said. "Mommy let me give it to Mrs. Parker."

"Nice gift," Castle said. "I can't wait to see what you got me." When Julia shook her head furiously he asked, "No? Come on, a hint, just a little one."

"It's a present," Julia said, giggling when Castle laughed briefly at that. "I don't say anything else."

"I'll stop," Castle said as they left the elevator and walked to his car. "At least I only have to wait four days until I see."

"I think you'll be pleasantly surprised," Beckett said with a slight smile.

"I know, anything I get from your daughter is going to be a huge surprise," Castle said as he opened the trunk and set down the boxes among the three that were already there.

"Can we fit everything in here?" Beckett asked, seeing the trunk was almost full as he set her third box inside.

"Do I go in here?" Julia asked, trying to stand on her tip toes to see inside.

"I've got my suitcase in the back," Castle indicated. "There's room on the floor and seat next to hers."

"Come on Julia," Beckett told her daughter, holding her back as Castle closed the trunk. "Let's get you inside and we can leave."

Leaning against the side of the car as he watched Beckett and Julia, Castle couldn't help but smile as the little girl excitedly asked her mother if Santa Claus would bring her certain gifts. When Julia was set in her car seat and Beckett closed the door he told her, "How come she gets to believe in Santa and I don't?"

"Because you're not a four year old child," Beckett said, giving him a look as she walked around to the other side of the car. "And if you want to, for this Christmas indulge in your belief as much as you want. It should be good for Julia."

"Thank you, but you know having a kid makes it less awkward to believe in St. Nick," Castle commented. He watched her roll her eyes before she opened the passenger door and got in the car. "Ready?" he asked Julia once he'd gotten into the driver's seat, checking on her in the mirror.

"Yeah," the little girl replied, yawning slightly.

"Here sweetie," Beckett said, handing her tablet to her daughter. "I've got your game all set for you."

"Kay, but I'm tired Mommy," Julia said, seeing it was her favorite game.

"I know, but I want you to stay awake or you won't sleep later," Beckett said as Castle pulled out to the street.

"Is that bad," Julia said.

"It will be for tomorrow," Castle commented.

"Why?" Julia asked interestedly.

"I've got a surprise for you and your mom. Not riding horses," Castle quickly added as every time he mentioned the word surprise, Beckett's daughter would remember when they had ridden on Thanksgiving. "But something else we all can do okay?"

"Kay," Julia said.

"Play your game Julia," Beckett told her. When she saw her daughter's attention was focused on the game, she turned to Castle and said, "A surprise?"

"Yes," Castle said shortly. "I can be mum as well as your daughter."

"We'll see," Beckett said simply as she smiled at him and squeezed his arm before settling back in the seat to prepare for the hour and a half drive through Long Island.

* * *

"Warm enough now?" Castle asked as he walked into the room that Julia was going to be using at the beach house again.

"Very, I didn't think you'd be able to do that in this kind of house," Beckett said. "As cold as it can get at the beach."

"She's falling asleep Kate," Castle said, looking at Julia and seeing the girl was nodding off against the window.

"Julia," Beckett said, shaking her gently.

"I'm tired Mommy," Julia whined.

"I know, but we're probably going to have dinner soon and after you can go to sleep," Beckett said, making her move from the window. She was surprised when Castle suddenly picked her daughter up and watched as he sat in the armchair that was next to the bed. "Thank you," she said in relief. "She's been falling asleep on and off this whole time."

"I noticed, why is she so tired?" Castle asked as he grabbed Beckett's tablet from the dresser.

"She's been very excited for Christmas," Beckett said, folding away Julia's snow pants into the dresser. "You're lucky you haven't been over for the past few nights."

"I bet you I could have made her sleepy," Castle said with a smile as Julia started to play the game he'd picked out on the tablet.

"How?" Beckett said disbelievingly as she passed him to take some shirts to the closet.

"C-SPAN," Castle said simply. When Beckett turned to him he said, "What? It always puts me to sleep."

"What's that?" Julia asked, looking up from her game.

"It's a channel on TV, they talk about politics," Castle said.

"Oh," Julia said. Her face screwed up in thought for a moment as the two watched her and she finally said, "I would sleep Mommy, I don't know what politics are."

"And you think it would make you sleepy?" Beckett asked with a laugh as Castle was trying to smother his laughter. "Okay," she said as Julia nodded. "For now though, try to stay awake." She hung up some shirts, and then went back to the suitcase on the bed asking Castle, "How are we on food?"

"Same as last time, fully stocked," he answered after restarting the game for Julia. "And I've got dinner tonight."

"What were you thinking?" Beckett asked as she took the last few things out of the case and put them away in another drawer of the dresser.

"Something special," Castle said, pausing the game then.

"Why did you do that?" Julia asked.

"I wanted you to hear what I'm going to say, you can play after, I promise," Castle said quickly. "But what do you think about having breakfast for dinner?"

"Oooh, yes please!" Julia said. But she then looked at her mother and tugged on the front of Castle's shirt until he leaned down enough so she could whisper in his ear, "Can you do that?"

"You can sweetie," Beckett said. "There's not a law that you couldn't."

"Good," Julia said. "What do you make?"

"It'll be a surprise," Castle said, getting up and setting her back on the chair.

"No it won't," Beckett said simply, putting Julia's empty suitcase in the closet. When Castle looked at her in confusion, she said simply, "We'll be in the kitchen with you," nodding towards her daughter who was rubbing her eye.

"Good idea," Castle said, taking the tablet from Julia and turning it off since she wasn't playing. "Come on, I'll tell you what I have in mind to make," he told the little girl as he picked up her and settled her on his hip. "And you can tell me if it's a good idea or not."

Beckett had to smile at the serious expression on her daughter's face as she listened to Castle. She walked behind them to the kitchen and leaned against the island where he had put Julia on one of the chairs. "No s'more-lets Castle," she said when he suggested that to them.

"Then what am I supposed to do for dessert?" Castle asked, looking back at them from the fridge.

"Pancakes!" Julia said.

"I think I have some chocolate chips in here," Castle said, going to the pantry.

"You're sure you couldn't use some help?" Beckett asked.

"And Julia?" Castle said, coming over with a bag, setting it on the counter with other ingredients.

"She'll stay on the chair," Beckett said, looking at her daughter as she spoke. "And she'll stay awake too."

"I can do that," Julia said, nodding her head seriously. She giggled when her mother smiled at her and shared a kiss with her before Beckett went around the counter to wash her hands. "Can we listen to music while you cook Mommy?" she then asked.

"Of course," Beckett said. "Go and get your player," she said, taking Julia down from her chair.

"Give it to me when you get back," Castle said as Julia rushed out, Beckett calling for her not to run. "And I'll hook it up so it plays on the sound system I've got."

"Can I help?" Julia asked.

"Sure," Castle said. "Careful on the stairs," he said quickly before Julia was out of sight. "Boy does that bring back memories."

"It should," Beckett said, cracking some eggs into a bowl and remembering their suspect that they'd watched fall down a flight of stairs at the end of their last case. "Since that just happened yesterday."

"Crazy case though," Castle said, starting to cut a tomato. "I really thought it was the co-founder and not the CEO."

"You were pretty close," Beckett said.

"So I was half right," Castle said. He smiled when Beckett didn't say anything, but went back to the eggs. "Still, it was interesting."

"Yeah, the holiday themed ones can be," Beckett replied. "I just wish it had been less gruesome than it was."

"Good point," Castle said with a grimace as he remembered the victim; the wife of the main founder and CEO of a Christmas decorating company for the city, killed by a hanging snowflake that had been attached to the ceiling of the lobby of the Flatiron Building. "But it was a fascinating case," he said.

"You took a while to come to that conclusion, are you sure?" Beckett asked with a smile as she was already finished with getting the eggs to the right consistency for omelets.

"Yeah, how long did I take?" Castle asked, looking at his watch.

"Does it seem like it's taking a long time for Julia to get back down here?" Beckett said as she watched him.

"Yeah, I'll go see what she's doing," Castle said, going as fast as he could out of the kitchen. He got to the stairs just as Julia was at the top starting to come down, and asked, "Are you okay?"

"I got my crayons," Julia said. "I want to color a tree."

"Good idea," Castle said, taking the pad of paper and crayons from her hand and then her iPod. "Want a ride to the kitchen?" he asked as he turned on the player.

"Yeah," Julia said eagerly, shaking her head yes.

"Okay, hold on tight," Castle said, kneeling down and picking her up on his back. He had done the same with her many times before, so it wasn't a problem to carry her over to the study first to get the music set to play before going to the kitchen.

"I thought I was going to have to go after you both," Beckett said as she took her daughter and set her back onto the chair. "What happened sweetie?"

"I wanted my crayons," Julia said as Castle set them and her paper in front of her. "I wanna make a picture for you Mommy."

"Go ahead," Beckett said, kissing her cheek before she went back to preparing her daughter's omelet. As she and Castle were working on the meal, she looked over at Julia from time to time as she began to sing to some of the songs. When she had finished everything she was working on, she went over to her daughter.

"Look," Julia said eagerly, looking up at her mother. "I made a Christmas tree," she said happily, holding out her picture.

"That's a great tree," Castle said, a little surprised that the green on the picture was close to the shape of a fir tree. "But no decorations?"

"I don't know how to draw that," Julia said, frowning a little as Castle took the picture from her mother. "You put it there?" she asked in shock as he put a piece of tape on it and put it on the door of the fridge.

"Of course. Almost everything in the house has some kind of decoration-" Castle began to say.

"Are you sure that's as much decoration you're going to put up?" Beckett asked with a smile as she took Julia off the chair.

"Yes, all that's left is the tree," Castle said. "Maybe some snowflakes for the windows, but we can wait for Alexis to come on Christmas Eve for them to do that."

"Paper snowflakes?" Beckett asked as she and Castle picked up some of the plates.

"She would always do that as a kid, now she wants to make some with Julia," Castle said.

"They don't melt?" Julia asked, sitting on one of the chairs at the table as she watched them get their drinks and hers.

"They're made out of paper," Beckett said. "Eat before it gets cold sweetie," she said, sitting down next to her. They had all taken a few bites when she asked Castle, "Any plans for this trip?"

"Besides Christmas, not really," Castle said. "I was thinking about walking along the beach one day, just as far as we can go, but with the way the weather's going…"

"We'll see," Beckett said, watching as Julia pushed the pieces of omelet that she'd cut for her daughter around. "What do you want to do?"

Startled at the question, Julia looked up, her green eyes wide before she smiled shyly and squirmed. "Don't know," she said, giggling softly.

"One of these days, if there's enough snow," Castle said. "We can make a snowman, or have a snowball fight, though that we should probably wait for Alexis."

"Why?" Julia asked.

"So it's more even," Castle said simply. He looked at Beckett's incredulous look and said, "I'm not taking you on by myself," in protest.

"And yet you seem to do so incredibly willingly most of the time," Beckett teased him, fighting back her laughter, but failing to suppress a smile as he looked at her with wide eyes. "We can try though, again, if there's enough snow to do that. I would like to see you make a snow angel this time sweetie," she said to her daughter to try and get the conversation on safer ground.

"Like I made in sand?" Julia asked. When both Castle and Beckett nodded she smiled and said, "Can I go now?"

"I don't think so," Castle said. "Probably freezing out there and you'll have to put so many layers on you won't be able to move."

"Mrs. Clayton said eskis live in the snow," Julia said seriously.

"Eskimos," Beckett gently corrected her. She smiled when her daughter nodded at her pronunciation, and she said, "She's right, they live in the snow, but they have better ways to keep out the cold."

"Should have made an igloo in that container," Castle commented.

"With what?" Beckett scoffed.

"Could have done a MacGyver," Castle said with a shrug.

"You keep telling yourself that," Beckett said, shaking her head.

"What is a Mac… what you said Castle?" Julia said.

Beckett had to smile as Castle began to explain the '80s TV show, and took that conversation through the rest of the meal until they began to clean up. When they had finished she looked at the clock on the wall and debated with herself for a moment.

"Does she need to go to bed?" Castle asked as he walked up to her.

"I think we can watch something," Beckett said. "But let me get her cleaned and changed and we'll be back down." She went over to the table where Julia was, singing again to the music still playing, and picked her up.

"Do I have to go to bed?" Julia asked with a loud sigh.

"Oh, now you don't want to sleep? You almost fell asleep in the car so many times I should have just sat in the back," Beckett teased her to her giggle.

"And who would I have talked to? Your suitcase?" Castle called after them. He smiled and waved at Julia as she waved over her mother's shoulder at him, and he turned to get ready for when they came back down.

Julia was well behaved during her bath once her mother had told her she wasn't going to bed yet and they went through it quickly. As Beckett dried her off she asked, "Mommy, can we watch a movie?"

"I don't think so," Beckett replied honestly. "It's a little too late; we'll try tomorrow to watch one of the movies you brought. But we can watch something short."

"Can we see Paul's cartoons? Castle never saw before," Julia said, her tone of voice rising in excitement. "He can see Wirrell and Wilhelmina and the froggies."

"We'll ask him when we go downstairs," Beckett said as she hurried to dress her. Once she had slipped Julia's robe on and tied it, she let her daughter run out to get her DVD holder and go downstairs to ask Castle about the movie.

Running into the kitchen once she had made it downstairs, Julia grabbed onto Castle's hand as he turned to get something from the fridge, and squealed when her feet slid along the floor in her socks.

"Hey, where's your mom?" Castle asked, holding her steady.

"Upstairs, can we watch Paul's cartoons?" Julia said eagerly, holding up the case in her hands.

"He's got cartoons?" Castle asked, taking the case from her.

"Three," Beckett said, walking over. "She wants you to see them."

"I'm excited to see them," Castle said. "If you like them that much."

"You can go ahead and get started," Beckett told the two as she reached into the pantry for the hot chocolate mix.

"We can wait," Castle said. "I actually wasn't ready; I needed to know if you wanted some wine or coffee."

"Wine for now, the same one we had at dinner," Beckett said. "You took to that Compostela white quickly."

"Prefer it to the red actually," Castle said, getting the bottle and pouring some into their glasses from dinner.

"Can I go in the room Mommy?" Julia asked, watching them.

"Go ahead," Beckett said, waiting for her cocoa. "Or is it still cold in there?"

"No, there's a fire, go ahead and sit Julia, but don't start the movie without us," Castle admonished her teasingly.

"I won't," Julia giggled, since she knew he was kidding. "But promise you will come and see?"

"I promise," Castle said. He squeezed Julia's back as she hugged him before the little girl ran to the living room, her DVD case in hand. Turning back to Beckett he saw she was looking at the stove, a small smile on her face. "Something amusing?" he asked, handing her one of the glasses.

"It's something I was thinking about before we left my place," Beckett said, turning to him. "About how much your relationship with Julia has changed since May."

"I know," Castle said. "I'm still pretty surprised how quickly she took to me."

"I think your immaturity helped a little," Beckett said.

"So cruel," Castle said under his breath.

"I'm kidding, you did a great job not trying to force her to accept you, and you understand her pretty well," Beckett said after she'd sipped some of her wine. "And it also helps you both have similar tastes in music, since you know how much she loves Paul."

"That's the great part about Julia," Castle said as Beckett poured the cocoa from the pot on the stove into a mug. "She has excellent, excellent taste."

"She does, I'll agree with you there," Beckett said.

"Speaking of Paul, you ever thought it was strange that she was raised to fear men, but she worships Paul; George too actually," Castle said.

"It's safe to do that," Beckett said; having already thought about that herself. "He was never someone who would come into her home and hurt Julia, so… it was safe."

"Luckily she enjoyed the concert," Castle said, wondering what she was thinking about as they walked to the family room.

"No, just, a gift I got her," Beckett said with a slight smile when she saw his questioning look. "I'm eager to see her reaction to it."

"Mommy," Julia said, peering over the back of the couch as Castle and Beckett walked into the room then. "Can we start?"

"Right now sweetie," Beckett said, sitting so she could set the mug and glass in her hands down. She watched in amusement as Julia watched Castle putting the DVD inside the player, hopping from foot to foot behind him.

"Okay, it'll start playing now," Castle said to Julia when he turned and saw her. "Go ahead and sit." He was a little surprised when she grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the couch. "I guess it's pretty good," he said once he was sitting and she was leaning against his knees.

"It is, Julia, why don't you sit?" Beckett said.

Shaking her head, Julia squealed in surprise when Castle suddenly lifted her up, setting her down in between him and her mother. "But I want to watch," she told him.

"You will, but if you stand up you can't really share the popcorn," Castle said, picking up the bowl from the coffee table. "And I'll drink your hot chocolate."

"But I want it, please?" Julia begged him.

"I'm joking. And I already have a drink," Castle said, handing her the mug. "So you can have it all to yourself."

"Thank you," Julia said before the movie started. She swung her legs back and forth as it began with Paul McCartney in a library, and she was soon bouncing up and down as he began to talk about animation.

"Can tell it's going to be good by that reaction," Castle said as Beckett quickly took the mug out of the girl's hands before she spilled.

Beckett smiled at that and then wrapped her arm around her daughter to calm her down. She watched both Julia and Castle as the movie went on, wondering if he minded at all watching the cartoon. But as the first cartoon ended; Julia singing the song _Tropic Island Hum_ over the credits; she had to laugh as Castle began to speak.

"That was pretty good," he said to Julia who looked up at him, nodding. "So Linda was the voice of Wilhelmina?"

"She sang with Paul too, she was a good singer," Julia said seriously. "And she played the piano, she was in Wings!"

"I know, you can hear her voice on a lot of Paul's songs," Castle said. "Remember he sang a couple of Wings songs when we went to see him?"

"Yeah, and everybody made a W," Julia said. "Like this," she said, crossing her thumbs together. "Mrs. Clayton said I was smart 'cause I remembered the letter W 'cause of that."

"You are smart sweetie," Beckett said.

"Thank you," Julia said shyly before the next cartoon started.

After the third cartoon the movie was over, and Beckett picked up her daughter, who was sleepy again. "Julia? Wake up, you need to brush your teeth and then you can go to sleep." She then turned her attention to Castle and said, "I'll be back."

"I'll follow you actually," he told her.

"Can I have a story Mommy?" Julia asked as Beckett walked over to the stairs.

"Not from me tonight, but Paul took care of your stories, he told you three of them," Beckett told her.

"Did you like them?" Julia asked Castle over her mother's shoulder.

"I did," Castle said. "The Rupert cartoon surprised me, though why I don't know since he's British."

"Is Rupert here?" Julia asked.

"I don't think so," Castle said. "But he definitely is in England."

"You know you surprise me a lot of the time with your knowledge of obscure things like that," Beckett said. "Along with you being the only one out of the six of us who remembered the Wings sign when we were at the concert."

"I'm a Renaissance man, what can I say?" Castle said with a shrug.

Beckett smiled at that and shook her head before she disappeared into the bathroom to help Julia finish getting ready for bed.

Sitting on the armchair in the room while he waited, Castle was looking at some text messages he'd gotten when his phone suddenly rang. "Hey Alexis," he said to his daughter once he'd answered the phone.

"Hi Dad, did you get in alright?" Alexis said.

"I did," Castle said, switching to speakerphone as Julia came running out. "Say hi to Julia, I've got you on speakerphone."

"Hi Alexis," Julia said eagerly. "I'm back at the beach!"

"I know, I'm so jealous of you," Alexis replied, amusement evident in her tone of voice.

"But you come here too don't you?" Julia asked, thinking the young woman was serious. "You have presents from Castle too?"

"I'll be there on Christmas Eve," Alexis said reassuringly. "Gram and I will both be there so we'll be spending Christmas with you too."

"How many days is that?" Julia asked as Beckett came out and started to untie her robe for her.

"Just four," Alexis said. "So it should go by fast."

"Say bye sweetie," Beckett told her daughter. "You need to get some sleep."

"Hold on a second," Castle told his daughter. "I'll say goodnight to Julia and then get back to you." He set his phone on the dresser and picked up the little girl, kissing her cheek before she kissed his, telling her goodnight as she repeated the words quickly. "I'll be downstairs," he told Beckett, handing her Julia.

Setting her daughter under the covers as Castle left the room; Beckett kissed her forehead as she tucked her in once Julia had her Stitch doll. "Warm sweetie?" she asked.

"Yeah," Julia said with a yawn. "Mommy, Castle didn't say his surprise."

"I know, he's not going to say until tomorrow," Beckett replied with a smile. "Or else it wouldn't be a surprise."

"Oh, do you know what it is?" Julia asked.

"No idea, but I'm excited to find out too," Beckett said. She laughed when her daughter's eyes went wide and she said, "I can be excited too," tickling Julia's neck. "Okay, now you can get some sleep, and I promise I won't stop you."

"Thank you Mommy, I'm tired," Julia sighed, working her arm out from under the covers. She hugged her mother around the neck, and shared a kiss with her before laying back. "I love you Mommy," she sighed deeply, trying to stay awake a little longer.

"I love you too Julia," Beckett said, stroking her hair until the little girl's eyes closed and stayed closed. She allowed herself to get up then and left the room, closing the door behind her. "I thought you were going downstairs," she said simply to Castle; who had been in the hall.

"It was a faster conversation than I thought it would be," he said as he followed her down.

"You know, there is something that I want to ask you," Beckett said before she turned to him at the bottom of the stairs. "Why are you always there when I'm putting her to bed?"

"I like seeing how you are when you're doing that," Castle said honestly. At her startled expression he quickly said, "It's sweet, and I don't always get to see you like that."

"Doesn't surprise me," Beckett said with a smile. "And I am so glad you can't tell Ryan or Esposito how I am with her."

"They've seen a little of it," Castle reminded her, following her as they started to walk to the family room. "I won't tell them," he quickly said when she turned to him. "How about some coffee?" he asked when she just looked at him.

"That would be nice," Beckett said. She turned but was stopped when Castle spoke again.

"Kate?" he said, and once she had turned around he spoke again. "You're a great mother."

Watching him walk towards the kitchen, Beckett smiled slightly before she glanced after him. She gathered herself and walked to the door to the backyard, and looked out at the snow that was falling in flurries outside. She wasn't sure how long she was looking, only that after a time she could hear Castle's footsteps approaching. Turning, she took the mug he was holding out to her and said, "I find myself wanting to prove that with this first Christmas with her."

"I understand," Castle said. "That first Christmas with your child you always think is an important one…"

"I think this one is a little different," Beckett said as he trailed off, knowing he was thinking of his first Christmas with Alexis. "Since Julia is definitely not a baby."

"But still," Castle said. "I think you've done a great job so far," he told her as he led her to the family room. "You're not forcing yourself are you though?"

"Oh no," Beckett said with a faint smile. "I knew as we got closer to this month I needed to watch myself. It's why I asked to tone down the decorations."

"Was I able to comply with that?" Castle asked as they sat on the couch and he looked around the room.

"You did, I'm proud of you, I was half expecting every inch of free space to be decorated," Beckett said. "But what you have is nice, more how I would decorate."

"I think my mother and Alexis are going to be surprised," Castle said, laughter in his voice. "Speaking of those same decorations, my surprise tomorrow is to go get the tree."

"I thought so," Beckett said. "But why is it a surprise?"

"Because of where I'm taking you and Julia to get it," Castle said. "There's a tree farm right outside town, kind of in the woods, and I thought we could go there."

"Interesting," Beckett said slowly.

"It's not supposed to be that cold," Castle said, knowing what she was thinking of.

"We'll see," Beckett said. "But I get the feeling you'll convince my daughter, if not me, to still go even if there's a blizzard."

"I wouldn't do that to her," Castle said in mock defense. "But we should get a tree somewhere tomorrow, if not at the farm."

"It'll be interesting to see if you'll be getting a massive one like you usually do," Beckett said. "Where are you planning on putting it?"

"Here," Castle said. "Great spot right here," he said, pointing to the windows. "I can't really get a tree that tall, but still, the ornaments you and Julia have should make it look pretty good."

"And your ornaments too," Beckett said. "What?" she said with a laugh. "You didn't think I'd notice the box I carried in had decorations?"

"I was hoping you wouldn't so I could very easily slip them onto the tree," Castle said, making a sliding motion with his hand.

"Okay," Beckett said slowly. "Why would you need to slip in those ornaments, they're nice. And I'm assuming the ones wrapped up are the more special ones."

"Yeah, the ornament Alexis made for me is one of them," Castle said. "Couldn't go without that one, sorry."

"You mean cookie angel?" Beckett asked. She laughed slightly when he looked at her in astonishment and said, "Alexis told me; well, more like warned me; that you would want that on the tree. I assured her I didn't mind it, though she seems to think you should be getting rid of it."

"We do that every year now that she's an adult," Castle said. "But I'm not letting that thing go. Has Julia made anything?"

"She has," Beckett said with a smile. "Mrs. Clayton is very much into the holidays, they've made ornaments, menorahs, Kwanzaa candle holders, things like that."

"I like that, they learn about different celebrations," Castle said. "Is that why you got her that coloring book on different holidays?"

"It is," Beckett replied. "But Julia made a snowflake the day they made ornaments in class, and she gave it to me, wrapped up in red paper. She was so proud but scared, it was the sweetest thing."

"Of course," Castle said. "Where is it?"

"In one of those boxes with the ornaments," Beckett replied. "You'll see it tomorrow if we end up getting the tree."

"No comment on my train?" Castle asked as she took a sip of her coffee.

"Not really, I'm just wondering where you're planning on putting the whole set," Beckett commented.

"I didn't bring it," Castle said. "Just enough track to put it around the tree."

"You don't even know what the circumference will be yet," Beckett said, slight laughter in her voice.

"I brought extra, just in case," Castle said easily. "But I thought Julia would like it."

"She probably will," Beckett said. "She's been pretty delighted with everything Christmas related that we saw. You remember how she reacted when we took her to see the tree at Rockefeller."

"Yeah, that was fun," Castle said with a nod. They were quiet for a moment, and then he asked, "So what did you get her that you haven't told me about?"

"You'll find out on Christmas morning," Beckett said.

"Fair enough," Castle said. "I think I got her some great gifts."

"Really," Beckett said. "How much did you get her that I don't know about?"

"Plenty," Castle said. "She'll be shocked."

Rolling her eyes, Beckett stood up and left, Castle hurrying after her, as she said, "Don't try to play that game with me."

"Oh come on, it'll be fun," Castle said.

"Seeing which of us gave the better gift to my daughter? That's a little sad," Beckett said.

"Alright, then why don't we try and see who gives the better gift between the two of us?" Castle suggested.

Shooting him a look, Beckett didn't say anything, merely rinsed her mug before setting it aside and turning into Castle who had stood next to her without her realizing it. "No," she said simply.

"Would be fun," Castle said cajolingly.

"Isn't the idea supposed to be the gifts being fun? Or meaningful?" Beckett asked.

"Maybe, but I like my idea better," Castle said.

Exhaling in exasperation, Beckett walked around him and strode over to the stairs saying, "Then maybe I should wait to give you my gifts on Boxing Day."

"That's mean, it's not even celebrated here," Castle said. "And hey, that's traditionally when people gave gifts to their servants." When she smiled over her shoulder at him he groaned and said, "Walked right into that one," before he rushed after her to his bedroom.

"Look, I did the best I could with my gifts," Beckett said as she went to her drawer in the dresser, pulling out her pajamas. "I just hope that you'll remember I bought them with trying to make you happy in mind."

"At least this year we're giving each other gifts," Castle joked, starting to change as she did. "And I can feel your look through this shirt," he said in the most convincing tone of annoyance that he could convey; though he was acting. "I realize now I should have gotten you something, but you were so damn sure when you kept saying no gifts."

"I was hoping for a surprise," Beckett said before she went into the bathroom.

Castle wanted to reply to that, but waited until they were back out in the room, and getting under the covers. "Who knows," he told her as she lay down. "You might get one this year."

"It better not be a horse," Beckett said, pointing at him as he lay with her.

"No," Castle said. "But I think you'll like what I got you."

"I'm sure I will," Beckett said, watching as he pulled the covers over his shoulder, lying on his side.

"I didn't get Julia a pony, but it was tempting," Castle said. "Always wanted to do that with Alexis, but you know she was more into unicorns than horses, so I couldn't quite pull that off."

"I bet you couldn't stand that," Beckett said with a smile.

"No, but a really nice statue of a unicorn seemed to be good enough, so I was lucky there," Castle commented. "And I know what you're trying to get me to say," he said, sliding his hand over her side before pulling her close to him. "And you have to know already I'll like whatever you give me. You know me pretty well, and you're smart, so I'm looking forward to a great Christmas. Plus it doesn't hurt that we're celebrating this year."

"No it doesn't," Beckett said. "But you know if I hadn't adopted Julia-"

"You would likely be working Christmas Eve," Castle said with a nod. "I know. And that's one of the reasons I'm so glad you adopted Julia. She's getting you to take some time off work which you could use, you have to admit."

"The only thing I'm admitting to is that I'm glad I adopted Julia because I love my daughter," Beckett said.

"As you should," Castle said. "But come on, you know I'm right." He grunted playfully when Beckett shoved against his rib with her fist and said, "Now I don't know if I want to participate in that possible snowball fight, unless we're on the same team."

"Against a four year old? _That's_ cruel Castle," Beckett said, leaning up and kissing him once she had finished speaking.

"Yes, then I want Julia on my team," Castle started to say before he caught the expression on her face. "Okay, then it's man versus woman and girl."

"Goodnight Castle," Beckett sighed, though she wasn't annoyed as she turned away from him on her side.

"Night, you know I'm hoping this is a great Christmas for you too," Castle said, going behind her and wrapping his arm around her.

"It should be," Beckett said simply, smiling as he kissed her collarbone through her shirt before she turned her head back so they could kiss. When they had parted she pressed back against Castle, and closed her eyes, letting the warmth of him and the covers make her drowsy before she fell asleep, his arm holding her close to him.


	2. The Spirit's Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Wonderful Christmastime by Paul McCartney, from the 1993 reissue of the Wings album Back to the Egg.

Groaning slightly in his sleep, Castle tried to get away from Beckett shaking his shoulder. But she wouldn't stop, and he then tried to brush her away. That didn't work either, and he finally opened his eyes saying, slightly in annoyance, "What is it Kate?"

"What?" Beckett asked, her eyes flying open at his loud tone. "Julia," she said, looking past his shoulder. "Sweetie, what are you doing up?" she asked a little sleepily as she sat up. "What were you doing to Castle?" she then said as he was looking at them both, confused.

"I was trying to wake him up," Julia said, biting at her lower lip.

"You surprised me," Castle said, sitting up quickly. "I thought your mom was trying to wake me up. What's wrong?"

"Is it Christmastime Mommy?" Julia asked, climbing over Castle to sit on Beckett's lap, wrapping her arms around her.

"Not yet," Beckett said, kissing her forehead. "Still another three days, remember, Martha and Alexis still need to come before it's Christmas Eve."

"Okay," Julia sighed in slight frustration. "Can we go out to the snow?"

Castle got up out of the bed at that, and looked out, seeing that while it had snowed the night before, there was barely half an inch. "There's not much," he said, going to where his robe was on the armchair. "But it looks pretty stormy," he then directed to Beckett.

"We should go early?" Beckett asked. When Castle nodded she said, "Okay, are you still tired sweetie?" she asked, looking at the clock on the wall and seeing it was only eight.

"No, where do we go early Mommy?" Julia asked.

"Remember the surprise I told you about before," Castle told her when Beckett glanced at him. "Well," he continued after the little girl nodded. "Did you notice we're missing something in the house?"

Beckett laughed under her breath as Julia looked around the room for a moment and said, "Just tell her."

"I'm taking you and your mom to get the Christmas tree," Castle said.

"Really? Did I go before Mommy, when I was little?" Julia asked.

"No, you were too small to go out into the cold," Beckett said, feeling horrible for lying. But she knew she had to, unable to; and not wanting to; explain why her Christmases with her birth mother had barely been celebrated; which she knew from Julia's photo albums her birth mother had put together. She glanced at Castle when he touched her hand and shook her head slightly before she said, "But now I think we can take you."

"Can I help?" Julia said as she stood up then, holding onto her mother for balance.

"I think you'll have to," Castle said. "Because your mom and I probably aren't going to agree on what's the perfect tree."

"Okay," Julia said eagerly. "Can I get dressed Mommy?"

"Actually, I was thinking we could have a quick breakfast, and then we can go," Beckett said.

"Which I'll take care of," Castle said, standing up from where he'd been sitting on the edge of the bed. "I'll bring it up."

"Thank you," Beckett said as she held onto Julia to keep her from jumping up and down on the bed. "Sweetie, easy," she told her, making her sit with her.

After getting a small breakfast together, Castle headed upstairs with a tray in hand, slowing down as he got closer to his room as Beckett and Julia were talking softly.

"But what if he doesn't like it Mommy?" Julia was asking.

"I'm sure he will," Beckett said reassuringly. "But we need to stop because he's outside trying to hear what we're talking about."

"Thought I could listen in," Castle said, coming inside.

"You're not a ninja," Beckett said as Julia leaned against her.

"That would be so awesome if I was," Castle said as he set the tray down on the nightstand next to her.

"Where do we go to get the tree?" Julia asked as her mother handed her a glass of milk.

"That I want to keep a surprise too," Castle said, giving Beckett her mug of coffee.

"Is there a picture Mommy?" Julia said, trying not to spill her milk as she tried to peer at the top of the mug.

"Are they going to be themed now?" Beckett asked as she showed her daughter the tree shape in the foam.

"For now, yes," Castle said, sipping his coffee. "Not easy to do, but I think it's worth it."

"It's perfect," Julia said.

"It came out great," Beckett said, smiling as he thanked her daughter.

"Can I help you make one of them?" Julia asked, picking up the muffin Castle had given her.

"Sure, but you need to wake up in time," Castle said.

"Can we make one for Santa?" Julia said suddenly.

"I don't know sweetie," Beckett said, having listened to their conversation in amusement. "I think he likes milk to go with his cookies more than coffee."

"I wanted to make something for Santa," Julia said, frowning.

"We'll make some cookies," Beckett reminded her. "But we'll wait for tomorrow okay? For now we need to finish up decorating. Keep eating so we can get the tree."

Nodding, Julia went back to her milk and muffin, and rocked back and forth, idly listening to her mother and Castle talking as she thought about how they would get their Christmas tree, growing more and more excited by the idea.

* * *

"What do you think Julia?" Castle asked, carrying the little girl as he stood at the start of the rows of fir trees of the farm just outside the Hamptons.

"Why are they like this?" Julia asked, though she sounded like she was in awe.

"It's a tree farm," Beckett said, trying to pull her scarf up higher around her neck.

"Like with cows and horsies?" Julia said.

"More like how they grow fruits and vegetables," Castle said. He set her down then and said; as she grabbed his hand tightly as one of the employees walked up to them; "We pick the tree and they cut it down and then take it home."

"That reminds me," Beckett said. "How are we getting it back to the house?"

"They deliver," Castle said. "Morning," he said to the employee as the man walked past them. He felt Julia hide behind him a little, and squeezed her hand in reassurance before he turned to her mother. "Should we start?"

"Yes," Beckett said, glancing at the sky quickly before she followed him down the row they were in front of. "So what exactly are we looking at here?" she asked after he paused to look at one tree, letting go of Julia's hand.

"Strong branches," Castle said, testing one at the top before going to the bottom. "And the right shape…"

"I get the feeling we're going to be here for a while," Beckett said as she stepped around him and walked down the row.

"If you take that kind of attitude to it, then yes," Castle said before he glanced at her. When she shook her head, he put his hand on Julia's back and led her after her mother. "What do you think?" he asked the little girl.

"They're pretty," Julia said. "But what's wrong with those?" she said as she pointed back down the row of trees they'd passed.

"Nothing, but they're not right for us," Castle said.

"Us or you?" Beckett asked after walking around a tree she'd stopped in front of.

"The former," Castle said. "This one?" he then asked, indicating the tree.

"It looks great all around," Beckett said, watching him walk around it then.

Julia looked on while Castle and Beckett talked about the tree, soon growing bored. She then turned and walked through two trees, running her hands along the branches that she pushed out of the way as she walked through them. She giggled softly and then ran through another row before she stopped at one tree and looked up at the top of it. She petted the branches gently and then took off her mittens, running her fingers over the needles to feel the pricks against her bare skin. She jumped up then, trying to see the branches towards the top, but knew she wasn't going to be able to check as she'd seen Castle doing. She turned then, and pouted a little when she realized her mother wouldn't be able to see her. She began to take a step back the way she'd come, but hesitated for a moment before she took a deep breath and stepped back the way she came, keeping her eyes on the ground as she went.

"I know," Beckett was saying to Castle then. "I should have told you I'm not a fan of Douglas… Julia?" she started to say as she turned to see what she was doing. "Julia!" she said apprehensively as she turned and couldn't see her daughter anywhere.

"Her footprints," Castle said, a little anxious himself until he saw the marks on the snow. "She went through the trees."

Just as she was going to run through the trees, Julia appeared and ran to Beckett, throwing her arms around her. "Sweetie, I thought you were lost," she said in relief, kneeling and hugging her tightly. "Are you okay? Where are your mittens?"

"I took them off, I found a tree Mommy," Julia said eagerly, taking her mother's hand. "Come see!"

Looking back at Castle, Beckett let her daughter pull her through the trees a couple rows over before they stopped. She saw Julia's blue mittens at the base of a tree and asked, "This one?"

Julia nodded her head and turned to Castle saying, "I didn't reach the top."

"That's okay," he told her, picking her up then. "I think you made a good choice though."

"I did?" Julia asked, looking at her mother.

"He's right," Beckett said with a nod. "You have a good eye sweetie." She smiled when Julia clapped her hands, and took her from Castle before he left to find an employee. "Next time though, don't leave me without letting me know okay?"

"I'm sorry Mommy, I wanted to see the trees," Julia said earnestly.

"Are your hands cold?" Beckett asked. When the little girl nodded she set her down and picked up her mittens, helping her put them on.

"Okay, they're going to come and get the tree for us," Castle said, walking up to them then. "Never used Noble fir, should be good."

"The needles are nice," Julia said. "They don't hurt."

"It's a great tree," Castle said absently, looking at one branch.

"Does it hurt the tree when we take it home?" Julia then asked worriedly, looking at the trunk of the tree buried in the light snow.

"Why don't we head to the car," Beckett said, after glancing at Castle to see if he could answer her question. He had only shaken his head, so she tried to think of a distraction, and was grateful when a gust of wind pushed at the branches. "It's getting cold."

"I'll get everything set here," Castle said as he handed her the keys to his car. He watched them walk down the path, smiling as Julia would keep stopping to touch the branches of the trees that stuck out in their way. Seeing an employee coming up to them, he shook himself and waited until the man had gone around Beckett and Julia before waving to him.

"Come on sweetie," Beckett said to her daughter when she stopped yet again to touch a branch. "You need to get in the car before you freeze."

Julia finally tore her gaze from the trees, and held her arms up to her mother, wriggling her fingers before she picked her up.

"Cold?" Beckett asked her, kissing her cheek which she was a little dismayed to feel was cold to her lips. When her daughter shook her head she hurried the rest of the way to the car, and got her into the back, sitting on her lap as she wrapped her coat around her.

"What do we do next Mommy?" Julia asked when she wasn't shaking slightly.

"We decorate the tree once it gets to the house," Beckett replied.

"Celia said it's fun," Julia said.

"It is," Beckett assured her. "You were pretty young before this year, but I think you can help me and Castle."

Julia smiled, but then grew serious and looked out the windshield of the car asking, "What if Castle gets lost?"

"He won't, he has to follow the worker to buy the tree," Beckett said, touched by how serious her daughter had been saying that. "Do you remember," she said then to try and distract Julia from looking out for Castle. "The ornaments that we bought?"

"Yeah," Julia giggled. "We put them on the tree?" When her mother nodded, she clapped her hands and said, "I can put them too Mommy. And we get to show Castle them too!"

Beckett smiled and hugged Julia to her, unable to miss the pang of sadness that centered in her chest. She couldn't help but remember her mother, wishing that she was there to celebrate with them; and again, to just be with her granddaughter. She shook herself though as Castle walked up to the car then, trying to remind herself once more that Christmas was for Julia, and she wanted to make up for the past three the little girl had never really celebrated. With that in mind, she smiled as she put Julia in her car seat, Castle handing the little girl the branches from the bottom of the tree, to hold on to until they reached the beach house, the car soon inundated with the scent of the Noble fir.

* * *

"Are those the orn'ments?" Julia asked eagerly as Castle and Beckett walked into the room carrying a box each.

"They are, I also hope they're the last ones," Castle commented as they set the boxes down next to the tree that had been set up.

"They are," Beckett said with a slight laugh. "Do you have all of yours?"

"All set," Castle said absently as he opened one of his boxes and started pulling out boxes of lights.

"I thought you'd bring the lights you already have," Beckett said, going over to him and helping him with the rest of the lights.

"I thought I'd try these instead," Castle said as he pulled one strand out and motioned for Julia to follow him to the plug behind the tree. "What do you think?" he asked as he plugged in the multi-colored faceted bulbs.

Julia giggled at the colors, and she touched a blue bulb before nodding saying, "It's pretty and bright."

"You don't have to help us yet sweetie," Beckett told her daughter as she brought another strand and connected it to Castle's. "But if you want to you can start taking out ornaments."

Shaking her head, Julia sat on the coffee table and watched as Castle and Beckett got the rest of the cords of lights connected to the one plugged in, clapping at the bright colors once they'd finished. "So many," she said in an almost whisper, her voice full of awe.

"She's right," Beckett said, helping Castle pick up the cords. "What if we have extra?"

"Outside," Castle said, motioning with his thumb. "That tree next to the driveway is looking pretty bare."

Beckett smiled at that, and she walked behind him then, intending to hold the cord for him as he wrapped the lights around the tree. She was a little startled when he turned to her and handed her the end of the lights. "You don't-" she began to say.

"I think you've got it," Castle said quickly.

Sensing he had picked up on her moment earlier before they'd left the tree farm, Beckett nodded and then started to place the lights on the branches, going from the bottom to the top. She glanced over at Julia on the second turn and asked, "Castle, she's behind you right?"

"She's helping me with the cord," Castle said as Beckett turned to them, laughter in his voice as he had let Julia take the cord itself, only watching to make sure she wouldn't need his help carrying it.

"And she's doing a great job," Beckett told her daughter, smiling. "But if it gets too heavy just tell Castle okay?"

"I will Mommy, but I'm helping," Julia said, beaming up at her before she exchanged a kiss with her.

Squeezing Beckett's shoulder when she had straightened up, Castle was relieved when she smiled a little at him before he moved to follow Julia. "You know at the top I'll have to take over," he said as they reached the middle of the tree.

"That's what I had in mind already," Beckett said. She then focused on getting the lights set, trying not to go too quickly for her daughter to have to run to catch up. She finally went as far as she could go, and said, "I think that's it for you Julia."

"What can I do now?" Julia asked.

"Get the first box of ornaments," Beckett said as she took the lights from her and then followed Castle around until he had finished. "A lot extra," she said as he unplugged the excess four cords.

"That tree is going to look great," Castle said, following her from behind the tree. "Let's see what you have here," he said as he went over to Julia who was looking into a small box. "Julia," he said to get the little girl's attention. "I'm trusting you to tell me about all your ornaments okay? I want to know why you picked them out."

"Kay," Julia said, her wide smile attesting to her delight in that idea. "This one is my favorite," she said, picking one up and showing it to him.

"Not surprising," Castle commented, looking at Beckett who had taken the box from her daughter.

"Mommy bought it for me," Julia said, tugging on his shirt sleeve. "What do I do now?" she asked, looking down at the ornament that had Lilo kissing Stitch under a sprig of mistletoe.

"Here," Beckett said, standing up and handing the box to Castle. "Where would you like it to hang, here, or lower towards the bottom?" she asked her daughter when they were at the tree.

"Up there, so everybody can see," Julia said, jumping up and down eagerly. She cried out when Castle suddenly picked her up and she asked him, "Why did you do that?"

"So you can hang it up," he told her simply while Beckett was getting a hook.

"Me?" Julia asked, looking flabbergasted as her mother gave her the ornament.

"Of course," Beckett said simply. "Make sure you put it on a strong branch sweetie, it's pretty heavy," she told her as she laid her hand on Castle's arm to keep him from trying to give Julia to her. She shared a glance with him, hoping he got the idea that she wanted him to share that moment with her daughter.

"Is here good?" Julia asked softly, looking at the two.

"I think so, just put the hook over the branch," Castle said.

After she had done so, Julia smiled a little and said, "Do we do the same for all of these Mommy?" indicating the box of ornaments in Castle's hand.

"Yes, so we're going to need your help," Beckett said to her. "Think you can?"

After Julia had nodded readily, Castle and Beckett included her as they put all the ornaments on the tree. It took some time, as a few Julia couldn't help telling Castle about. But when they had finished, the tree was nearly covered and they stepped back to look it over.

"Not bad," Castle commented.

"It's not finished yet," Beckett reminded him. "But you're right, I think it looks great."

"When does it finish?" Julia asked as Castle started to put away the boxes.

"When we hang my ornaments on," Castle answered for Beckett. "And that'll be when Alexis and my mother get here."

Sitting down on the couch, Beckett smiled as Julia started to go around the tree slowly, looking at the ornaments that were within eye level with her. "Did you really need to take pictures?" she asked Castle as he sat with her.

"For your-" Castle said before he abruptly stopped himself. He cleared his throat as he glanced at Julia and said, "Yeah, of course, it's our first Christmas here in the Hamptons, we need to get it documented."

"You make it sound like a case," Beckett said absently, her eyes also on Julia. "Sweetie," she called to her as she appeared around the tree. "What's wrong?" she asked, following the little girl's gaze up.

"Does something go on top?" Julia asked, still peering up at the bare branch.

"You're right," Castle said. "But you two were supposed to take care of that."

Beckett got up and went to one of the boxes, taking out another. "What do you think?" she asked Castle as he walked over to her.

"It fits," he said, taking the silver star made of a scroll work pattern, a white light bulb in the middle. "Did you pick this?" he asked Julia.

"Is it good?" Julia asked nervously. She was surprised when Castle didn't answer, only stood up on a chair and set it in place before plugging it in.

"You made a good choice," he told her, watching as Julia smiled a little at him. "I know Alexis will like this."

"She will?" Beckett asked.

Castle looked at her and Julia, seeing the same questioning look on both their faces, and smiled as in that moment they looked very much alike. "She will," he repeated. "And you can surprise her by showing her," he directed to Julia.

"Still another three days," Beckett quickly said before her daughter could ask. She laughed slightly when Julia pouted a little and she pulled her up into her arms. "The time will go fast, I promise."

"Since we're done here," Castle said, looking over the tree to make sure. "I think I'll head out to the front, and take care of the tree."

"Which is already lit, what did you mean by putting the lights on it?" Beckett asked as he picked up the extra lights.

"I wanted to put some swag on the branches," Castle said simply.

"Swag?" Beckett asked.

"You'll see tonight," Castle promised. "What is it Julia?" he asked as she leaned over in her mother's arms, reaching for him.

"Can I help?" Julia asked eagerly.

"I don't think so," Castle said. "But," he said quickly as she looked disappointed. "When I came back in we'll set up those branches you carried home for me on the fireplaces okay?" When she nodded he was surprised when she still held her arms out to him and looking at Beckett, took her before he settled her against his hip.

"Thank you," Julia said, sounding a little shy.

"You're welcome, but why?" Castle asked.

"For the tree, and for letting me help," Julia said seriously.

"I think you need to thank your mom," Castle said.

"No, she's right," Beckett said. "You did invite us here."

"That was more of a formality," Castle said. "I would have been celebrating Christmas with you had we stayed in the city. All this is, is a shift in location."

"Still," Beckett said. "Why don't we go make lunch sweetie, while he's busy outside?"

"Kay," Julia said, hugging Castle around the neck quickly before she went to her mother. "But Mommy, I want to go outside."

Castle bit back his laughter as Beckett carried Julia towards the kitchen, patiently trying to explain to her why she couldn't go outside. He shook himself then when they'd left the room, and unplugged the tree before leaving himself.

* * *

Sitting on her knees in front of the tree later that afternoon, Julia was humming to the Christmas music that was playing as she watched Castle putting together the tracks for his model train.

"Okay, I think that's enough," Castle said, setting down the last piece of track and snapping it in place. "Ready with the train?" he asked Julia. "Oh no," he said as she tried to hand it to him. "You can put it on."

Glancing at her mother, who was behind them sitting on the coffee table, Julia placed the train on the tracks and tried pushing it forward. "I did it," she said, sounding surprised when it moved.

"You did a great job sweetie," Beckett said. "Go ahead and put the rest of the train on."

Castle helped Julia set the rest of the cars and last the caboose with the engine before he started up the train, watching as she giggled while it went around the tree. "Your mom's right, you did a great job," he told her. He was surprised when she suddenly jumped up and ran out of the room.

"Julia," Beckett called, wondering where she was going. "Don't run on the stairs!" she then yelled as she heard her daughter's heavy footsteps ascending. She stood up and went to the flight of stairs, watching Julia came back from her room with a present in her arms. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I want to put my presents under the tree," Julia said happily.

"That's a good idea," Castle said, standing behind Beckett. "We should put the gifts we're exchanging on Christmas Eve under the tree."

"Alright," Beckett said. "But why don't you let me and Castle do it," she said to her daughter. "I don't want you running up and down okay?"

Julia nodded in response, and she stood on the last step, watching as her mother and Castle grabbed a few presents before coming back down and she followed them into the room. "Can I put them under?" she asked excitedly.

"Come here sweetie," Beckett said with a laugh, pulling her daughter over to the tree.

Castle hesitated, unsure if he should join in with them as they placed their gifts. But when Beckett looked back at him he quickly shook that off and set the gifts he'd grabbed down, including one that had a tag with _To Mommy, From Julia_ written on it. He smiled to himself, remembering going shopping with Julia and Alexis earlier in the month, having helped the little girl pick out gifts for her mother. He was distracted from that when Julia cried out and ran around the other side of the tree to the window.

"It's snowing, Mommy, Mommy look!" Julia said, jumping up and down. "Can I go outside?" she begged as Castle and Beckett joined her. "If I dress warm?"

"Yes," Beckett said after eyeing the flakes and seeing they weren't coming down too heavily. "Let's go put on our things, and we'll go out for a little bit, but if you get too cold, you tell me okay?"

Castle followed them upstairs and put on his warmer layers before he headed to Julia's room as Beckett and the little girl walked out. "Want me to wait for you?" he asked his girlfriend as Julia took his hand, looking up at him.

Beckett didn't bother to ask, since she already knew he was joking. She merely knelt down a little and straightened Julia's scarf before kissing her on the nose. "I'll be right down, but stay inside with Castle okay?" she admonished her gently. When her daughter nodded she went to grab her outer clothes, putting on the extra layers quickly. While she had taken Julia out into the snow, there had never been enough to do much more than allow her daughter to pick some up in her hands. But with the snow; which had fallen at least two inches without them noticing; and much thicker; she wanted to take the chance to let the little girl play for a while. She had to wonder; and worry; if the snow might trigger a memory, though she knew all Julia probably did in her old home was to walk around the snowy square that was her backyard. Shaking herself, she tucked her scarf securely into her coat and went out, pulling on her gloves as she went.

"Here she is," Castle said to Julia to get her attention.

"Are you gonna be warm Mommy?" Julia asked worriedly as Castle opened the door for them.

"I'll be fine sweetie," Beckett reassured her. "Please don't run in the snow," she reminded her daughter. She watched Julia go down the steps carefully before she hopped through the snow. She stopped after she had stepped onto what had been the path to the pool and smiled at her daughter's antics as Julia cupped her hands, catching snowflakes.

"I've told you your daughter's very sweet right?" Castle commented, watching Beckett.

"You've mentioned it," Beckett said, smiling at him. "It's a relief to watch her like this," she said, lowering her voice.

"I know, it's why I suggested here when we were talking about Christmas," Castle said. "Well, a number of reasons went into my thinking of here, but I thought she could enjoy the snow."

Beckett was about to speak when she saw Julia suddenly running towards the side of the yard closer to the pool. She started to tell her not to run, when her daughter slipped and fell, making her take off at a run for her. "Julia, are you okay?" she asked worriedly once she had reached the little girl, kneeling next to her.

Giggling heavily, Julia let her mother help her up and said, "I fell Mommy."

"I know, I'm glad you didn't hurt yourself," Beckett said, standing up. "Try not to do that again okay?"

"Kay, I forgot Mommy," Julia said, starting to take off her hat.

"Leave it," Beckett said quickly, putting the blue knit hat back on her head.

"It makes my head itchy," Julia said with a pout.

"Keeps your head warm," Castle pointed out to her.

Julia frowned but didn't say anything to that, instead she looked around and hopped over to a space of snow before she lay down. Moving her arms up and down she felt the snow moving until she sat up. "How do I get out Mommy?" she asked, not knowing how to get out of her snow angel without ruining it with her feet.

"Here," Beckett said, picking her up. "It looks really nice sweetie."

"Thank you," Julia said. "Oh," she said in surprise as she tasted something on her tongue. "I swallowed snow!"

"That's alright," Castle said as Beckett walked up to him. "It's just ice."

"But it's soft," Julia said, looking up.

"You know what ice is made of right?" Beckett said, setting her daughter down.

"Water?" Julia asked after looking thoughtful for a moment. "So it is okay if I get some in my mouth."

"That's fine," Beckett said. Before she had even finished speaking, Julia was running around, her tongue sticking out to catch the drifting flakes. She laughed and said, "It's just water sweetie, not sugar."

"I don't think that's going to matter," Castle said, amusement in his tone of voice. "Julia," he called to her, getting her to stop. "Remember that snowball fight I mentioned yesterday?"

"Not enough snow," Beckett said quickly.

"Oh, so you're worried I'm going to win?" Castle asked.

"No, I just think it's better if we wait for more snow," Beckett said. "And when Alexis gets here so it's more even."

"Then why don't we at least teach her how to make them and to throw," Castle suggested.

"Is the latter my responsibility?" Beckett asked.

"Pretty much," Castle said. "Though I can throw. I just want her to learn from the best."

Narrowing her eyes at him, Beckett said, "I don't know where you're going with that, but I get the feeling I'll find out later." When he only gave her an innocent look, she shook her head and turned to Julia who was kicking at the snow.

As Beckett began to teach her daughter how to scoop up the snow and form it into a round shape, Castle was nudging the snow slightly with his foot. He found what he was looking for, and waited for the right moment, which came much sooner than he'd expected.

Looking on as Julia threw another snowball at a small mound of snow with a rock on it she'd made as a target, Beckett suddenly yelled in shock as snow hit the back of her neck; some of it sliding down her back under her clothes. "Castle!" she cried as he was running from her. She took off after him, missing the squeal of laughter from her daughter as she chased him back to the steps to the house.

Trying to keep ahead of Beckett, Castle thought that he'd managed to, going down to the other end of the yard when he found himself slipping on a patch of ice when she grabbed him. He managed to turn somehow so he wouldn't land flat on his face, instead hitting the rising layer of snow on his shoulder, turning so Beckett was below him. "I'm guessing I need to apologize at this point?" he asked her as they stared at each other.

"That would be nice," Beckett said, breathing too hard to put her slight annoyance into her voice.

"Then I'm sorry," Castle said. "But man you should have heard yourself- ow! Okay, okay, I'm sorry, and I'm serious this time," he said quickly when she punched his ribs. "I'm sorry," he said again, looking at her and suddenly forgetting why she was mad as he watched her panting slightly. When she didn't ask him what was wrong, he lowered his head, but before he got close enough to touch her lips, there was an explosion of snow on his back and he jerked away, seeing that it had been Julia. "She's quick," he said, getting off of Beckett and helping her up, brushing off the snow from her coat.

"I guess you were a better target than the rock," Beckett said, smiling slightly. "That was a nice one sweetie," she said to her daughter, walking over to her. She paused mid-step when she realized Julia had no gloves on and began a little sternly, "Julia, your-"

"I'm sorry Mommy," Julia said quickly, tears flooding her eyes. "But I made a snowman, they have mittens and that is all I have!"

Glancing over at the mound of snow where Julia had been practicing, Beckett had to fight a smile as her blue mittens were on top of it. "That's not exactly a snowman," she said, going over and taking the gloves off before putting them back on her daughter's hands. "But it was sweet of you to try. These stay on your hands though, okay?"

"Kay, I'm sorry Mommy, honest," Julia said, pressing her cheek against her mother's side.

"I know, and I accept your apology," Beckett said. "Are you cold?" she asked when she realized that Julia was shaking slightly. When the little girl nodded, she was about to pick her up when Castle suddenly scooped her up in his arms.

"Did Alexis ever tell you about the first snowman I made?" he asked her. When Julia shook her head no, he motioned to Beckett to walk with him to the house, and he then said, "I was only four, the same age you are now, and my mother finally, finally let me go outside to play in the snow with my friends. And we made snowmen after we had a huge snowball fight- I won."

Rolling her eyes, Beckett said, "We only have your word to go on that though."

"Okay, maybe I don't exactly remember the outcome of that fight," Castle said as they stepped inside the house and he set Julia down. "But," he said as he took off the little girl's hat. "I think I won," he said in an exaggerated whisper to her.

"Me too," Julia replied in the same whisper.

"See, she agrees with me," Castle said.

"Is there a point to this story?" Beckett said, though she was smiling slightly.

"Okay, so after the fight we made snowmen, and I ended up putting my mittens, my hat, my jacket and sweater I was wearing on it," Castle said. "All of us did that with our snowman. And the colds we had after that… we learned to take extra accessories with us if we were going to do that again."

"Was your mom mad?" Julia asked, her eyes wide at that.

"She was, but since it was my first time out in the snow for longer than a few minutes at a time, she eventually forgave me, but was pretty strict about bundling me up," Castle said. "Ended up looking like the Michelin man the next time I went out," he said to Beckett.

"Yeah, there are pictures of me the same way when I was little," she replied. "So now you know sweetie," she turned her attention to Julia who was watching them. "Next time you want to make a snowman, make sure you tell me you want mittens for it. But no jackets or hats okay?"

"Kay, can we make one now?" Julia asked.

"Better to try tomorrow," Castle said, glancing out. "When you have enough snow to make a taller one. What do you say to some cocoa now?"

"Can I?" Julia asked him eagerly.

A little startled that she hadn't asked her mother first; something she'd been doing lately, Castle looked over at Beckett, who nodded. "Sure, I'll go ahead and make it. Watch out," he told her as he took his scarf off of his neck.

"Let me take off your coat sweetie," Beckett said to get Julia out of the way for him.

"Mommy," Julia said slowly. "Castle said I believe him, don't you?"

Beckett was quiet for a moment, trying to think of how to word her reply. "Sometimes," she began. ' _A lot of the time_ ,' she added wryly to herself. "Castle has some very… interesting ideas when we're trying to solve our cases."

"Like what?" Julia asked, watching as her mother placed her coat next to Castle's on the chair by the door before setting her own on it.

"I think that's something you need to ask him yourself," Beckett said with a smile. She shook her head as her daughter ran for the kitchen, and she hurried after, wondering how he would answer her question.

"I guess you're thirsty?" Castle asked as he turned from the stove where he was making the hot chocolate.

"No, Mommy said you have funny-" Julia started to say, tugging on his shirt.

"Interesting," Beckett interrupted her.

"Yeah, that, ideas," Julia finished. "But she said to ask what they are."

"You want me to answer that?" Castle asked Beckett in surprise.

"Go ahead, I want her to decide for herself if she'll believe you or not," Beckett said, leaning against the island.

Taking a deep breath, Castle then said, "Then let me ask you first, do you remember that movie we saw, _E.T._?" When Julia nodded, he then said, "You remember he was an alien from space. Like Stitch," recalling her doll and knowing she'd remember that better.

Listening as Castle tried to explain aliens and flying saucers, Beckett had to fight with her smile as her daughter looked more and more perplexed. She wondered if she would end up understanding what he was talking about, and if the little girl would believe him if she did. A part of her was hoping Julia wouldn't, but she knew in the end she wouldn't care if her daughter did. She had accepted that part of Castle; though his theories, especially his paranormal theories, during their cases still irritated her; and hoped that Julia would as well. Though watching the little girl, she had a feeling that her daughter already had.

* * *

"Castle, we really can't stand out here for that long," Beckett yelled to the open front door.

"I know, do you have your eyes closed?" Castle called back.

"For the last time yes," Beckett said in exasperation. "And we're turned around. Hurry before my daughter freezes."

"I'm coming right now," Castle said, going down the steps and running over the snow, his foot slipping slightly. "Whoa. I'm okay," he said jokingly as neither Beckett or Julia reacted to the sound. "And you can look now," he told them.

Turning around first, Julia's mouth dropped open as she took in the lights covering the front of the house. "It's perfect!" she gasped in awe.

"I'll agree," Beckett said with a smile, hugging Julia to her. "It came out beautifully Castle."

"I can't take credit for putting it up," Castle said, pleased as he looked over the windows and eaves which had bright, multi-colored lights and some lit icicles above the front door. "But Alexis and I put our heads together on the way we wanted it to look."

"I like the blue," Julia said with a smile, grabbing his hand as he was next to her.

"That was Alexis' idea," Castle said with a slight smile, looking at the bushes in white planters along the front of the house. "She wanted to put blue for you, since she knows it's your favorite color."

"You did a good job with the tree," Beckett said, turning and seeing the swags of colored lights they hadn't used on the tree inside.

"It matches the tree in the house," Julia commented, looking up at the branches above them.

"It does," Castle said. "I'm glad you two enjoy it, we were trying to get some kind of design, something special for this year. Why don't we go out back, because it's decorated too."

"I saw the lights," Beckett said as Julia looked up at her hopefully. "Alright, we can go see," she told her daughter. "But very quickly, it's getting a lot colder."

"Should be more snow tomorrow," Castle commented as they walked to the front door. "We can try out that snowman."

"I have extra mittens," Julia commented as she tapped the snow off her feet by stomping them on the porch instead of on the mat as Beckett and Castle were doing.

"She'd be a great tap dancer," Castle commented, picking her up as she wasn't stopping though her shoes were clean.

"Not that dancing, Ballroom," Julia said firmly as he followed Beckett inside the house. "And Latin."

"I know, but I bet you'd be good at tap too if you tried," Castle told her.

"I don't think she likes tap shoes," Beckett said, smiling back at them as she led the way to the door out to the back. "But she'll have enough with ballet, ballroom and horseback riding when she's old enough to do that too."

"Do I have to close my eyes?" Julia asked as Castle took her outside, covering her eyes with her hands.

"No," Castle said with a slight laugh. "You can look since I don't need to turn on these lights."

"It looks great here too," Beckett said, her attention suddenly drawn to the gazebo, which had white and blue lights entwined on thin cords hanging from it. "You did a nice job with that."

"I figured since it's there, why not do a little more decorating," Castle said, watching her closely for a moment before Julia tapped him on the shoulder. "So what do you think?" he asked the little girl.

"Beautiful," Julia said eagerly. "I think it's the prettiest house ever."

"Now that it's decorated?" Beckett asked her daughter with a smile.

"More," Julia said simply, in a firm tone of voice. She wondered why her mother and Castle laughed slightly at that, but instead said, "Can we watch a movie now? By the tree?"

"We can," Castle said before Beckett could reply. "I've got a special one picked out for tonight."

"For Mommy?" Julia asked as he took her to the house.

"For you," Castle said simply.

"I wanna help make popcorn!" Julia said eagerly.

"Actually, you're going to be taking a bath," Beckett said, taking her. "And as soon as the movie's finished you need to go to bed."

"Better listen to her," Castle told Julia as she looked disappointed. "And I'll make the microwave popcorn, so it'll be ready fast."

Parting ways at the stairs, Beckett took Julia upstairs and got her ready for bed, a little surprised when her daughter lingered instead of heading downstairs ahead of her. "Are you okay sweetie?" she asked.

"Yeah," Julia said, rubbing her cheek. "Mommy?" she asked as Beckett was turning down her bed so it would be ready later.

"What is it?" Beckett said, turning to her.

"I don't think Castle will like my presents still," Julia said, putting her fingers in her mouth out of nervousness.

"He will," Castle said, appearing in the doorway then. He smiled slightly at Julia as the little girl ducked around her mother, peering up at him and he said, "I don't care what you got me Julia, I know they're good gifts."

"What about what Mommy got you?" Julia then said.

Beckett suddenly looked confused, and looked down at her, wondering what had prompted her daughter to say that. Julia had never really mentioned any kind of worry over the gifts she had seen her get Castle, so she wasn't sure why the little girl had asked that.

"I'll like whatever she gets me," Castle promised, a little surprised as well. "Your mom told you that it doesn't matter what the gift is though, but that you thought about it and got it for that person, right?"

Julia nodded slowly, and she said softly, "But I want you to like what we got you."

"I will," Castle said firmly. "Now, are you ready to see what movie I found for you?" he asked, picking up the little girl. When she nodded slightly he reached out to Beckett when she turned to the dresser. "You forgot your robe," he told Julia as her mother picked it up.

"I'm not cold," Julia said quickly. "Can I see the movie Mommy?"

"Let's go," Beckett said with a smile as she followed Castle downstairs. "I'm hoping this movie is good."

"It is, no aliens, though I was tempted to start her out with _Close Encounters_ ," Castle said; knowing she'd meant age appropriate.

"When she's older," Beckett said, shaking her head. Luckily; to her; Julia had had a hard time believing Castle's explanations about aliens, even when he'd tempted her with the idea that Stitch was an alien. "Who knows," she said. "She might change her mind then. And I'm talking about Julia," she said quickly when he looked at her with a surprised expression. "I'm afraid I'm pretty set."

"I was hoping," Castle said. "Let me get the popcorn and some milk for Julia," he said before he suddenly leaned over to Beckett and whispered into her ear.

"I'd like some wine," Beckett told him as Julia was eyeing them interestedly. "Okay, robe?"

"Mommy," Julia said softly. But before she could say anything else she paused, waiting for something. It was only when Castle had returned that she quickly said, "Mommy, what happened when you and Castle first met?"

Beckett paused in taking a glass of red wine from Castle, and shared a look with him; knowing it was very likely her expression was much the same as the startled one on his. "There's not much to tell sweetie," she said as Castle cleared his throat but turned to the TV. She gave him a look for leaving her to explain; though he didn't see it; and said to Julia, "I had to speak with him because of a case I was working on, and after that he started to work with us and your uncles. Why did you ask?" She had ended with a question, so her daughter wouldn't try and ask for details.

"I remembered Celia said her mommy and daddy met when they went to ski, in the snow," Julia said. "I thought you met Castle like that too."

"Weather was actually pretty nice when we met," Castle commented. "But not everyone meets the same way." He could tell from the look that Beckett was giving him that she wanted to change the subject, so he said quickly, "Here's the movie I picked out for you."

" _Secretariat_?" Beckett asked.

"It's a Disney movie, I've seen it already and it's fine," Castle told her. At her nod he then directed to her daughter, "It's about a horse."

"Oooh! Mommy, can-" Julia began.

"Yes! Start the movie Castle," Beckett said with a laugh, grabbing Julia before the little girl could get too excited. "And sit down."

"Right," Castle said, hurrying over to the couch. He was about to sit next to Julia, when Beckett grabbed his hand and pulled him around the coffee table the other way so he sat next to her. "You could have said," he told her.

"It was more fun that way," Beckett said simply as Julia sat on her lap. She leaned back against Castle as she wrapped her arms around her daughter before he wrapped his arm around her. She kissed the back of Julia's head as the movie began, finding it a little amusing they'd adapted the way they usually sat together to watch movies at her place to work for the way they were sitting; not that she was going to complain as she turned her attention to the screen.

* * *

After Julia was in bed and Castle and Beckett had watched a movie on their own; agreeing on _Close Encounters of the Third Kind_ only after Beckett agreed to humor him; he was sitting up in bed, waiting for her and trying not to fall asleep. He kept nodding off over his new Michael Connelly book though, and he shook himself before slapping at his cheeks a few times. He tried to read again, but it was too hard to struggle with his exhaustion, and he was asleep before he could stop himself.

"Castle," Beckett said, touching his arm. "You fell asleep," she said quickly when he jerked awake. "Rough day?" she asked, sitting on the edge of the bed next to him.

"To a point, your daughter can be exhausting sometimes," Castle said, rubbing his cheek to wake himself up a little. "And it's been years since I've had to run after a four year old."

"You still do a pretty good job," Beckett said.

"I'm surprised she asked us about when we first met," Castle said. "You gave a great answer. Better than I could have."

"What would you have said?" Beckett asked, slight laughter in her voice.

"What really happened, which is probably not a good idea," Castle said.

"No," Beckett laughed aloud. "I wanted to thank you for the tree, for taking us to the farm."

"Yeah, are you okay?" Castle asked. "I wasn't really sure how you were when we were hanging all the ornaments."

"It was a little hard, but it's very different from how it was when I was decorating with my parents," Beckett said truthfully. "And I did enjoy it."

"Me too," Castle said. "And thank you for letting me tell her about aliens."

"I did that to indulge you," Beckett said, trying to be nonchalant. "I half expected her to agree with you."

"I don't think so, though I was tempted to tell her to come over to the dark side," Castle said. "We have cookies," he said in his best Darth Vader voice. "Which would have probably scared the hell out of her."

"You're doing a good job on me," Beckett said.

"My accents, my Vader voice, come on," Castle said, pretending to be exasperated. "Is there anything at all I can do at least acceptably well?"

Beckett gave him a look and said, "You're usually more subtle when you fish for compliments."

"I wasn't fishing for compliments," Castle replied. "But feel free to give some." He laughed when she slapped his hand that had inched onto her waist, before he stopped and said, "Are you wearing my robe?"

"I was waiting for a mention," Beckett said easily. "I forgot to take mine with me before my shower, and since yours was there already…"

"Interesting how many times you had to roll up the sleeves," Castle said, pulling on the right one. "Feel free to borrow it again."

"I might take you up on that offer," Beckett replied, a slight smile on her face. She looked down as he untied the robe then, and parted it saying, "You honestly thought I was going to come out here naked, it's a little cold," when he looked disappointed.

Castle wanted to reply to that, but he was suddenly impatient, and he leaned over, kissing her deeply on the lips. When she quickly responded, he started to tug his robe off her shoulders and slid it down her arms as she let go of him to help. He pulled away and kissed at her neck before sliding his hands underneath her shirt, pulling it up as her body shivered at his touch.

As she helped Castle undress both herself and then him, Beckett tried from time to time to kiss him. But he would only go along with it for a short while before he was moving on to whatever the next article of clothing was. She finally gave up, but once he was laying her down on the bed, she wrapped her arms around him tightly, and kissed him hard. She could immediately feel slight pain in her lips, knowing that had been done out of frustration. When they pulled apart, panting heavily, she sucked in a deep breath of air as he slid down her body abruptly. She was a little surprised, since he tended to take things a little slower, but she waited to see what exactly he was doing.

Brushing his lips over her thighs, Castle shuddered as her skin was silky smooth, and the scent of whatever she had used during her shower was competing with her arousal. He could have sworn he was slightly dizzy, but got a hold of himself, and drifted up, kissing her directly at the apex of her legs, to her shocked gasp. He was surprised she hadn't guessed he was going to do that, but he liked taking her aback once in a while. But he couldn't wait anymore, and he moved back up her body, kissing her hard on the lips as she had done to him, wanting to repeat the experience.

Clutching tightly to the back of Castle's head, Beckett could feel his right hand on her leg, and she quickly moved, spreading them both at his touch. When he drifted down to her neck, she closed her eyes tightly and at the same time his lips drifted across her heated skin, she could feel him sliding inside of her. Her breath paused for a second, before returning to normal as she tilted his head back up so she could kiss him. When he began to move she was ready, moving with him, tilting her head back though it meant breaking off the kiss. She felt his lips back on her neck, and she bent her head down, lightly running her own over his forehead.

Taking Beckett's lips as hard as he could, Castle pulled away only after a few seconds, pressing his lips to her jaw and neck before kissing her again. He did that a few times as they both worked each other up to move faster against each other. He hadn't been sure how exactly he was going to make love to her, but found his earlier desire to be slightly slower slipping away quickly. He moved from her mouth, and went to her neck, drifting his lips until he was at her collarbone. He pressed a kiss repeatedly until he was nearly at her shoulder. Moving back slightly, he reached up with his right hand, and gently cupped her breast in his hand, caressing it and watching her to see her reaction.

Digging her fingers slightly into Castle's back, Beckett pressed her other hand on the back of his neck, bringing him to her mouth again. They kissed, and at the same time she could feel his thumb flicking over her nipple slightly. She moaned into his mouth before he pulled away, and she watched him go down to the hollow of her throat. She couldn't see what he was doing; his head in the way; but she definitely felt the edges of his teeth nipping at her sensitive skin. She suddenly raised her legs without thinking, and wrapped them tightly around his back, wanting more than he was already giving her as she felt his lips and teeth around her skin, going from her collarbone to her neck.

Pressing his lips against Beckett's jaw, Castle went over to her ear, pressing a few heated kisses to the skin underneath, feeling her shuddering in pleasure. He went back to her lips and kissed her as he slid his hand down the side of her body. He could feel her responding to his touch, and he managed to slip his hand in between their bodies, though by then they were almost crashing into each other. He ignored his hand being constantly squashed between them, and reached the apex of her legs. He didn't have much room to work however, so the best stimulation that he could accomplish was to just barely brush his fingertip against the distended nub he easily found. He still felt a reaction from her, and he looked down at her, wanting to see it as she seemed to jump underneath him.

Running her nails down Castle's back, Beckett fought as best she could, to give them more time, but it was of little use. She tensed for an instant before she threw her head so far back; it was nearly flat on the pillow under her head. She had no idea if she was screaming or shouting words, the roaring in her ears as the pleasure seemed unending rendering her unable to tell. She only hoped he realized how much she was enjoying that inevitable climax.

If he thought about it later, Castle wasn't sure he'd be able to say which of them had reached their end first. He was fairly certain it was Beckett, but he was incredibly close, everything about her driving him too crazy to outlast her for long. So it was a relief to finally find his own release, and he kissed her wildly, unsure if he got to her lips at all before he finally felt them both calming down. Breathing roughly as he pulled back a little to look at her, he saw her eyes were half closed, and he kissed her squarely on the lips; in case he'd missed before. He felt her responding, and he continued for as long as he could until he moved away, laying on his back but keeping her with him as he went.

"I didn't think me wearing your robe would elicit that kind of response," Beckett said, rubbing her cheek before she pressed it to his shoulder.

"Me neither, but I don't think I was acting on that," Castle said honestly. "That kiss outside earlier."

"I forgot about that," Beckett said, thinking for a moment and then remembering chasing him. "You deserved that frustration then."

"Hey," Castle said, pretending to be offended. "No, you're right. Sorry about that, but the opportunity was beautiful," he told her.

Sighing as she shook her head, Beckett turned away from him onto her side, thinking he might want to go to sleep. She felt him sliding up to her then, and she tucked her hand under her pillow when his slid over her hip. Closing her eyes, she half expected him to pull her back against his body, but his hand suddenly cupped her mound, and her eyes flew back open, glancing back at him.

"Tell me if you want to stop," Castle told her, feeling her tense. He wasn't sure how she would respond, so it was a relief to feel her reaching back to him, draping her leg up over his at the same time. He kissed her deeply as he touched her then, but didn't keep that going for too long. Eventually when he reminded himself of what he'd had in mind, he pulled away and made her get up on her knees before he got behind her, on his knees as well. They were busy kissing and touching one another, so much so he wasn't quite positive he was inside of her when he started to move. He began a little slowly, his hands running up and down Beckett's body before she reached behind her, wrapping her arms around his neck as she began to move in time with his thrusts.

Beckett was relieved when Castle sped up, as she was trying to get him to do. She was shaking a little, his hands seeming to be all over her at once. Yet again, his gliding touches left an echo of his fingers, though they were long gone to some other part of her body. It made her entire form tingle at the sensation, and as he began to stroke her neck and breasts unexpectedly, she jerked against him roughly. He thrust faster, and she was breathing harder as his fingers trailed over her bottom lip, making her quickly react by taking his fingers into her mouth, rubbing her tongue over them. She felt his other hand grasp her stomach tightly at that, and she would have smiled if she wasn't already going through so much pleasure that she was trying to keep control for a longer amount of time than had passed already.

Sliding his hand down to her stomach, Castle pressed it against her moist skin, pushing her back against him harder, while his lips found the junction of her neck and shoulder. He groaned heavily against her before he moved up to press his cheek to hers. He could feel her breathing roughly against him, moving with him in perfect sync as he watched her body. Her skin was reflecting the lights still on in the room, and the shadows that resulted from their thrusts against one another made his hands travel down her skin, running along each one until she was sliding her fingers through his hair. He kissed her then, deeply though it was a little hard to stay together with as fast as they'd come to move. When they needed to breathe, he kept his lips close, letting them brush against hers lightly before he pulled back.

Beckett was unsure if she really should fight the rising pleasure inside of her, knowing she was so close it would be more of a frustration than anything else to prolong their lovemaking. Just as she was about to find her release, Castle suddenly stopped and she groaned heavily, "Not now, please."

Not even stopping to acknowledge that, Castle moved her onto the bed, on her back. Instead of making love to her again, he kissed her hard, before drifting down her body. Every time his lips pressed against her skin, she slightly jumped before he moved on. Her cries were getting a little desperate, so he hurried down to her thighs, rubbing his cheeks along them and kissing the apex of her legs again before moving up. He didn't stop that time once he was thrusting inside of her again, only moved harder as they kissed deeply, would part to breathe, then kiss once more.

When she finally reached the edge, Beckett felt a huge sense of relief as she was almost clawing at Castle's back, before she could feel his face buried into her neck, yelling against her skin. She was a little out of it once they had both calmed down, but had enough sense to pull him to her lips for yet another kiss. That one though was far simpler and slower, both of them taking their time before they parted slowly. "You can be evil too," she told him, smiling widely as they pressed their foreheads together.

"I wasn't just torturing you," Castle said as he moved to lie on his back. "But still, I can be pretty confident that you enjoyed that."

"Yes, but you don't need to act cocky about it," Beckett said simply, following him and lying on her side with her head on her hand. "And I think you did too."

"Very true," Castle said. "Wasn't I falling asleep earlier? How did it get to this point?" he asked jokingly, looking around them in exaggeration.

"So that means I'm pretty good myself," Beckett said. She then realized; at the smile and knowing expression on his face; what he'd done saying that and she said, "You could have just said it yourself if you wanted to compliment me."

"It's more fun that way," Castle said as she pushed his shoulder slightly. He wrapped his arm around her waist and said, "So how is this going so far?"

"Are we talking about tonight, or the trip?" Beckett asked.

"A little of both…" Castle began before he trailed off. When she shot him a look he quickly said, "No, the trip."

"We've only been here for a little over a full day," Beckett began. "But, I'm enjoying it. I think Julia is too."

"Great," Castle said, a little distracted as Beckett's hand had started to stroke his chest. He tried to grab it, but when she slapped at it he quickly stopped. "So do we have… plans for tomorrow?" he asked, trying for a distraction as her hand worked its way further and further down.

"I don't know," Beckett said, pretending to say it absently; however she was anything but. "You've thought of some pretty interesting things to do. But I think staying here, trying out the snow will be fun."

"Good point," Castle said, swallowing hard as she started to brush her fingertips over his thighs. "Look, I'm sorry I teased you but-" he finally blurted out in frustration as he couldn't take it anymore; and knew she was more than aware of the fact by the way she was fighting not to smirk. Before he could finish speaking though, she was kissing him, and hard. Groaning, he flipped her over onto her back, and began to take her the second he was inside her. When she didn't try to stop him, he thrust hard and fast, feeling her moving with him, which was enough agreement for him as she kissed his lips and jaw.

As she let Castle take over what she had initially intended to have her on top, Beckett was a little surprised when a little into it, he moved them again. Things became a little dizzying as they kept switching, but it wasn't enough of a deterrent for her to ask him to stop. Instead she found herself egging him on, touching him and kissing him until they finally broke, holding each other tightly until they collapsed to the bed, shaking a little from their exertions. She stroked his slightly damp hair while they recovered, and kissed his temple as his chin was resting on her shoulder.

"I love you Kate," Castle said, turning his head to kiss her.

When they had stopped to breathe, Beckett brushed her lips against his and whispered back, "I love you too Castle." With that she pulled him to her lips yet again, meeting his eager lips readily as they held on to each other as closely as they possibly could.


	3. Reflects Us Our Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Here Comes the Moon by George Harrison, from his album George Harrison.

Finishing the paragraph he'd been writing out in his mind somewhat ahead of his typing, Castle read over it quickly before he stopped and saved his work so far. Standing up, he stretched slightly before walking to the stairs, looking down at his watch. A little surprised that two hours had passed since he'd started to write; he'd only intended to write at least four or five pages; he went up to the second floor, hearing talking coming from Julia's room. He paused just next to the doorway, listening in on the conversation inside.

"I told you before," Beckett was saying to Julia. "It's a very nice present. You need to stop worrying so much sweetie, okay?"

"Kay, but I'm scared Mommy, I don't remember giving presents before," Julia said nervously. "But why do we give them? Doesn't Santa?"

"Well, Santa gives gifts to kids, and you're the only one here who'll be getting presents from him, okay?" Beckett replied, setting aside the scissors she'd been using. "The rest of us need to exchange them with each other, that's what happens when you're grown up."

"Do I have to?" Julia said. She sighed deeply when Beckett nodded, and smiled as her mother laughed. She then noticed Castle walking into the room, and she was about to speak when he put his finger to his lips. She looked a little confused, but didn't say anything as he snuck up behind her mother.

"Is that mine?" Castle whispered in Beckett's ear, not surprised when she jumped, dropping the present she had almost finished wrapping.

"No, and if it was I would be throwing it out in the water and making you go get it," Beckett said, turning to him.

"Okay, not going to do that again," Castle said before he sat down on the edge of the bed. "So who is this for?" he asked before Julia came around and climbed onto his lap.

"I give it to Alexis, tomorrow Mommy?" Julia asked.

"Not yet sweetie, another couple days and then you can give her this," Beckett said, getting some ribbon. "Unless you want to give it to her tomorrow night?"

"No, I want her to see…" Julia started to say before she looked up at Castle and giggled. "It's a surprise," she said to him in an exaggerated whisper.

"Oh, of course, I wouldn't tell her though," Castle whispered back. "So tell me, right here," he said, pointing to his ear.

"I don't think so," Beckett said wryly. "You keeping that a secret? She'll find out tomorrow night Julia and so will Castle and Martha when she opens it."

"Kay," Julia said before Castle handed her her Stitch doll that had been behind him.

"So I'm going to guess," Beckett said, taking Castle's hand not holding onto her daughter and making him place his index finger on the knot she'd made with the ribbon. "That writing went well? You were down there a lot longer than five pages."

"Yeah, got into a nice groove and I was gone for two hours," Castle replied, moving his finger once she had made a bow. "I think I've got their second night set, just debating if I want to use something for inspiration."

"Two nights ago?" Beckett asked, not looking at him as she turned to place the wrapped gift on the dresser. When she turned around; as he still hadn't replied, she nearly fell back as she ran straight into him.

"Yes, and does that mean yes?" Castle asked.

"Didn't know you really cared for my opinion when it comes to that," Beckett said.

"Well, I try not to copy…" Castle began before he looked back at Julia who was sitting on her knees on the bed, watching them. "Certain events as they happened exactly when I write, but I'm eager this time to try my hand at it."

"Right, let's just lay down a ground rule for that," Beckett said, going to the edge of the bed and sitting next to her daughter. "No copying those events exactly or I will bean you over the head with a copy of _Hamptons Heat_. Or barring that, any of the other Nikki Heat books that are at hand. Understand?"

"Clearly," Castle said, knowing she was serious. "I'll only use the… beginning of the events," he continued, putting the word events in air quotation marks. "If you know what I mean."

"So any ideas for dinner, Julia was talking about being hungry a little bit before you joined us," Beckett said, frowning a bit at the way he had said the last sentence, not wanting her daughter to ask questions.

"There was something," Castle said. "I checked my e-mails before I started to write, got the online newsletter for the city, and there's the Lights on the Water Festival tonight."

"Boats?" Beckett asked.

"Decorated boats, I think you might like that Julia," Castle said. "But we can see them here," he said, nodding to the window. "And before that I was thinking about lights, and remembered this street that's near a fabulous pizza place. They're really… substantial homes, mansions basically, but like they're on steroids. And they decorate them really elaborately. Families always head out there around Christmas, and walk along the street which is closed off to everyone but residents' cars. There's cocoa, desserts, and-"

"We'll go Castle," Beckett said, amusement in her voice. "Since you want to go so badly," she said in a playfully patronizing way.

"Oh, ooh Mommy, can I go? I want to go too," Julia then begged, tugging at her mother's sleeve.

"I said we'll go, that means you too," Beckett said. "But," she then continued when Julia clapped her hands. "You'll need to bundle up very warmly, and no taking off your hat or else we'll come back home okay?"

"Kay, can I have desserts if I wear my hat?" Julia asked.

"We'll see," Beckett said with a slight laugh. "Should we go now?" she asked Castle.

"Yeah, it's six, so it should be a good time to go," Castle said, checking his watch.

"I'll send her downstairs with you once I get her ready," Beckett said as she set Julia on the bed to her side and stood up.

"Right, what makes you think I'll finish before her?" Castle asked.

"I'm slow," Julia said with a giggle.

"I'll be waiting for you at the front door Julia," Castle said before he left.

Beckett got her daughter's warmest winter clothing, setting aside the snow pants to put on later that night before they walked through the neighborhood. She dressed Julia in two layers, and put aside three more for later, piling a scarf and then mittens with them before she grabbed Julia's jacket and put it on her daughter who was rocking a little on the bed. "I've got a little surprise for you," she said once she was finished.

"What? Is it a present?" Julia asked eagerly.

"Sort of, but not for Christmas, this is a winter present," Beckett said, taking something out of Julia's suitcase in the closet.

Squealing in pleasure as she saw the hat was a beanie that was Stitch's head with his large ears and two lappets on the sides that were his claws at the end, Julia stood up and hugged her mother as tightly as she could. "Thank you Mommy, I love it!" she told her happily.

"So does this mean you'll keep your hat on?" Beckett asked. When Julia nodded, she laughed slightly and said, "Go downstairs and show Castle before I finish getting ready."

"Mommy?" Julia said, not letting go of her.

"What is it sweetie?" Beckett asked, picking her up.

"You're the best mommy in the world," Julia said, kissing her cheek.

"Thank you," Beckett said, taking a moment to respond. "And you are the best daughter I could have. I love you Julia."

"Love you Mommy, thank you for my hat," Julia said before they shared a kiss. She ran out of the room after Beckett had set her down, and went down the stairs as carefully as she could, hiding her hat behind her as she approached Castle.

"All set?" he asked when he saw Julia. "What's that?" he then said, motioning to her hand which was behind her back.

"It's a surprise my mommy gave me," Julia said eagerly. "Wanna see it?"

"Of course," Castle said.

"It's Stitch!" Julia said, holding out her new hat. "See, it goes on my head," she said, trying to put it on.

"Wait, let me try," Castle said as she couldn't get the hat open enough to fit on her head. He took it and looked at it saying, "That's pretty nice, okay, here you go." He put the hat on her, and then tugged it down until her eyes were covered saying in mock surprise, "Oh no, Stitch is eating your head… wait, no, I was wrong, he's supposed to go there," fixing her hat as Julia giggled heavily.

"See his claws?" Julia asked, holding out one of them.

"I do, so you like it?" Castle asked. When Julia nodded he then said, "Are you excited to go see the lights."

"Lights like here?" Julia asked.

"Yep, and it's a big neighborhood, a lot of houses, so if you don't want to walk just ask and I'll carry you for a while," Castle said. "Unless you want your mom to."

"You too," Julia said, taking his hand.

"And if you get too cold sweetie," Beckett said, coming down the stairs then trying to put her scarf on with one hand while she carried the extra layers for Julia in a bag. "Then we'll come back home. Thanks," she said in reference to Castle taking the bag, letting her tuck her scarf under her coat. "Are you ready?" she asked Julia.

"Yeah, Castle put my hat on for me," the little girl said happily.

"Let's go before it gets any colder," Castle said. "And this?" he asked as he held up the bag.

"Her snow clothes, I don't want her to freeze," Beckett said. "Don't you have extra clothing just in case?"  
"I'll be fine," Castle assured her, leading her out the door by her elbow. "And you?"

"Same response," Beckett said simply before she headed for his car.

Watching her walk ahead, Castle smiled slightly, and then followed quickly as she glanced back at him.

* * *

"I'm actually a little surprised Castle," Beckett said as they sat together.

"Why?" he asked, looking from Julia to her. "Want some soda?" he asked.

"Thanks," Beckett quickly said. "This place, I wasn't really expecting it to look like this." The pizza restaurant was very simple, long tables and benches as the chairs. There were some arcade games; which they were sitting near as Julia was looking at the different games. She had been expecting more of a sit down restaurant with servers and less families; though the restaurant was almost empty of other people.

"They make a great margarita pizza," Castle said. "Alexis and I always walk here in the summer one night for dinner. I don't know how many times we played on that air hockey table."

"Probably a lot," Beckett said when the door opened, letting in the cold. She noticed Castle looking behind them and she turned, surprised to see Rebecca and David Foster walking in.

The couple nearly passed Castle and Beckett, but Rebecca saw them, and she stopped saying, "Rick, Kate, I didn't think it was you for a moment, I didn't know you were here in the Hamptons. It's great to see you again."

"It's nice to see you," Castle said, standing up and shaking their hands. "Your kids?" he asked as Beckett greeted them, looking behind them for their son and daughter.

"At home, their grandfather is watching them," David said. "We're only here to pick up dinner."

"Are you doing the same for your families?" Rebecca asked.

"Actually we only have Julia with us," Beckett said.

"Alexis and my mother are still in the city," Castle continued for her. "They'll be joining us tomorrow since they have a lot of parties to attend before Wednesday."

"Where is Julia?" Rebecca asked as a worker called to David and he left them.

"In the arcade," Beckett said after she glanced over to check on her daughter, seeing her looking at the stuffed animals in the claw machine. "We're actually taking her to see a neighborhood after we eat and then go back to the house to see the boats."

"That's why we're staying in," Rebecca said. "The kids want to see that. But Julia will love Poisson Street, a really big neighborhood for Christmas light decorations. They used to have a competition, but things got too aggressive, we actually used to live there when Dave and I first moved to the Hamptons sixteen years ago."

"So you upgraded," Castle said.

"With the view yes," Rebecca said with a smile before her husband walked over with four pizza boxes. "It was great to see you again," she said to them. "And I hope we might be able to see you and Julia before you go back to the city."

"Probably, we'll be here until the second or third," Beckett replied. After the couple had said their goodbyes and had left, she saw Julia looking at the whack-a-mole game and she called to her daughter, since an employee was bringing over two pizzas.

"Mommy, can I play a game after?" Julia asked as Beckett helped her onto the bench.

"If it's not too late," Beckett said.

"You know we can come back if you two like it," Castle said. "I'm sure Alexis will want to come with us."

"We can do that," Beckett said. "Eat sweetie," she admonished her daughter gently as she poured her drink. "So how bad were those competitions Rebecca was talking about?" she directed to Castle after they had taken a few bites.

"Petty revenge incidents basically," Castle replied. "Nothing Hamptons finest couldn't handle."

"Of course, something they're used to, I'm sure," Beckett replied. "The decorations are that lavish?"

"You'll see when we get there," Castle said. "Because I can't really describe it any better than that."

"And you've never used imagery in your books before?" Beckett asked sarcastically.

"Trust me, there aren't enough words for these homes," Castle said.

Smiling a little at that, Beckett shook her head and turned her attention to her daughter, making sure she was eating.

Julia was quiet during the meal, watching the arcade games and the few other people that were eating there as well. When she had finished, she begged her mother to let her play some games, when Castle got up.

"Come on, I'll play a few things with you," he said as he quickly checked his watch. "And then we'll head out to see the lights."

Finishing up her drink, Beckett got up as well and followed them over to the first game that Julia ran to, which was the claw game. "I should have known," she said with a smile as she saw a stuffed horse inside. "Sweetie," she said. "If you can't get the horse don't worry okay? I can always buy you one."

"Kay, but I wanna try to get it," Julia said.

"Here," Castle said, picking her up and holding her level with the controls after he had put in money. He helped her as best he could, trying to get the claw over to the horse, Beckett watching them from the side and directing them both. "Here goes nothing," he said when he felt they were as close to above the horse as they could get.

Julia held her breath as the claw grabbed the toy, and raised it up, but as it moved over it slipped down, and she made a soft noise of disappointment.

"You were close," Beckett said as Castle set her daughter down. "Try another game okay?" She let Julia take her hand before she pulled her to the whack-a-mole game. "Think you can play this?" she asked as Julia picked up the mallet.

"Yeah, will you help Mommy?" she said, looking up at her mother.

"Sure," Beckett said, standing behind her and wrapping her hand around Julia's. She waited until Castle had fed a quarter to the game, and started to help her hit the animals that popped up. She laughed with Julia as they were moving frantically to hit every one. When they stopped she had to laugh again as the little girl begged to play once more. "No, I think we should go before it gets any colder outside," she told her. "But remember, we might come back here with Alexis, so you can play with her okay?"

"Kay," Julia sighed. "And can I try to get the horsie again?" she asked eagerly as Beckett and Castle took her hands.

"Yes, we'll all try and get it," Castle promised her. "I'll get a bunch of quarters, and we'll see which one of us wins."

Julia giggled slightly at that and let her mother put her back in her car seat before they left for the neighborhood. She listened absently to Castle and Beckett talking, until she heard them talking about Alexis and paid more attention.

"So are you finally set with Berkley?" Beckett asked.

"To a… point," Castle said, sighing as he made a turn onto a residential street. "She's very excited to go; her roommate is telling her about all the places she'll take her to visit, all the shops that are in the downtown area. Alexis can't wait."

"You've never been to San Francisco?" Beckett said.

"No, it's why she went to talk to you," Castle said. "Well, she also wanted to get your opinion on Berkley."

"Even though I didn't go there," Beckett said teasingly. When he just glanced at her she smiled and said, "I know, it's not the same as going overseas, but it's a big decision to attend school on the other side of the country. I think she made the right one." When he started to shift in his seat she said in a slightly unyielding tone of voice, "Castle, she's only going for a semester, and you know Berkley is a great school. Plus she wants to get out of the state, see what's out there in the world. I did the same thing, but in the end I still came back to New York because it's home."

"I hope you're right," Castle said. "But I can't really take exception to her excitement. And she mentioned something about Spring Break, me and my mother going out there for the week."

"That should be nice," Beckett said as he parked against a curb. "If you end up doing that I can tell you some great places in the city."

Castle smiled at that; though he got a sudden idea; and got out of the car saying, "Going to change her into those extra layers?"

"Yeah, you didn't need to get out of the car," Beckett said as he'd gone around to open the door for her.

"I'll be fine, go ahead," Castle said, motioning for her to get into the car. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled on gloves as he watched Beckett and Julia; who didn't look to be enjoying the added clothing. "You look pretty warm," he told the little girl as her mother let her out the car. "Can she walk though?" he asked Beckett as Julia almost waddled to him.

"You mentioned something about carrying her right?" Beckett asked teasingly. "No, I told her if it's too hard to walk I'll take off that outer coat, but that's it."

"Camera ready?" Castle asked Julia as she slipped her mitten covered hand in his.

"I've got it," Beckett said, pulling it out of her pocket. "I wanted her to wear those mittens since they're her warmest pair."

"Mommy promised to take good pictures," Julia said as they started to walk with her in between them again. She tugged on Castle's hand and asked pleadingly, "Will you take some pictures too?"

"Of course," Castle said. "I'll take some of you and your mom."

"Kay," Julia said happily. They crossed a street then, and she gasped when she saw the first house they came to, letting go of Beckett and Castle's hands to run up to the edge of the snow covered yard. "Mommy, look!" she said eagerly, pointing to the large Christmas tree covered in gold lights. "See the presents?"

"I see sweetie," Beckett said, taking a few pictures. First one of her daughter and then of the house itself; intending to keep the first picture for the albums she was filling with pictures of Julia. She watched her run along the edge of the yard, looking at the tree branches that were covered in gold lights as well before she looked at the house and saw some stuffed animals in the bay window. "You weren't kidding about the decorations," she said to Castle as they watched the little girl.

"It's why I suggested it," he replied, watching her take another picture. "Alexis always loved visiting here when we came for Christmas. And I thought Julia should have a chance to see this."

"I'm glad you let her," Beckett said.

"I think you should be glad you found her," Castle said simply. He then changed the subject, as he didn't want to have a more serious conversation when Julia could easily overhear them. "Cold at all?" he asked her.

"I'm fine," Beckett said, knowing what he was doing. "I don't know if I needed to have put so many layers on my daughter though," she then said with a slight smile, watching Julia trying to skip back to them. "What do you think?" she asked as her daughter threw her arms around her.

"It's so beautiful!" Julia cried. "Are all the houses like that?" she asked Castle.

"Not the same, but they're decorated with a lot of lights," he replied. He was surprised when she held her arms out to him and he picked her up, carrying her down the sidewalk to the next house. He had to set Julia down when they reached it, and he watched with Beckett as she exclaimed over the reindeer statues and Santa figure in the yard. "Did she ever get her picture taken with Santa?" he suddenly asked.

"I took her to _FAO Schwartz_ , but she didn't want to," Beckett replied. "I'm not sure if she was shy or scared, but she hasn't had any nightmares, and she's not afraid of the idea of Santa, so I'm hoping it's the former."

"Most likely," Castle said as Julia yelled to her mother to take a picture of her next to a reindeer statue. "Keep walking?" he asked Beckett after he had taken a picture of them both instead.

"Yes, I get the feeling we'll need to stay with her to keep going," Beckett said with a laugh. "Or else we'll still be here when they start unplugging their lights."

Walking up to Julia, Castle picked her up and carried her down to the next few homes. Luckily Julia seemed to have calmed down a little, as she didn't protest him holding her. When they reached the end of the first block and they crossed the street he said, "I was hoping they'd decorate this one the same," to Beckett as he nodded to the first home on the corner.

"I can see why," she said as she saw the house herself, glancing at her daughter. Beckett wasn't too surprised to see Julia's eyes were wide, reflecting the blue and white lights the house, yard and trees were covered with. She motioned for Castle to put the little girl down before she took a few pictures, watching Julia standing in front of the fence.

Touching one of the blue bulbs, Julia was smiling, when suddenly there was a flash and she jumped back against her mother as the entire house changed from blue and white to multi-colored. "Did I break it?" she asked fearfully.

"No," Beckett said, looking at Castle and seeing he was smiling. "It's supposed to change colors."

"Oh, it's pretty," Julia said. "Did you take a picture Mommy?"

"I did, should we keep going?" Beckett asked her.

"Can we wait to see it change?" Julia said.

"Sure," Castle said. "Are you cold though," he quickly said when Beckett looked at him.

Julia shook her head, and stood a little impatiently, hopping from foot to foot as she waited for the light to change. When it did she clapped; the sound muffled by her mittens; and said, "I like this better."

"Me too," Castle said as they walked down the sidewalk to the next house. He let Beckett and Julia walk ahead of him, watching them together before they needed to go up a cul-de-sac. "You know," he said to Beckett as Julia was standing a little ahead of them, looking at the first house on the side street. "I never realized some houses they decorate pretty much the same every year. And it's been a while since I've last been through here."

"Still, I'm sure the kids don't remember," Beckett commented as she took a picture before they had to walk after Julia.

"The more memorable houses Alexis did," Castle said. "This being one of them," he said as they came to the house next door that was covered in multi-colored lights. But what stood out more; and what Julia was squealing over; were the displays of the _Peanuts_ characters, Snoopy included, on boards.

"I can see why," Beckett said, smiling as Julia ran back and forth a little, trying to see all the characters. "Julia," she called to her daughter. "Sweetie, don't run okay? You might slip."

"Kay, but it's Snoopy. And Charlie Brown and Linus and Sally," Julia said eagerly, her breath coming out in short puffs of white air as she was speaking rapidly.

"I know," Beckett said. "And I'll take pictures. Just walk with us okay?"

Julia nodded, and almost began to take her mother's hand when she realized Beckett was taking pictures as she had promised, and didn't have a free hand for her to take. She turned to Castle behind her, and smiled when he held out his left hand to hers. "Did you know this house?" she asked him as they followed Beckett down the sidewalk.

"I did, I was eager to see your reaction to it," Castle answered. "Since I know how much you love Snoopy. And I know how much you loved watching the Christmas show last night."

"It was funny, I liked the little tree," Julia said with a giggle. "What does it say on the desk?" she then asked, pointing to the board with Lucy painted on it.

"The doctor is real in," Castle read for her.

Giggling slightly, Julia asked, "What does that mean?"

"It's a little joke, it means she's there," Castle said. "And apparently cool too."

"Julia," Beckett called to her daughter, having already moved down the sidewalk to the next house. "Come here, you might like this one," she said, gesturing to the front yard.

Castle picked her up before the little girl could start running, and held her under the arms as she kicked her legs, laughing heavily in response. He set her down next to her mother, and looked at the house. "I think you're right," he told Beckett as Julia gasped a little.

The front yard had penguin figurines, even a small Ferris wheel with more penguins in the seats going around. Julia looked over at the side of the yard, seeing what was supposed to be ice, and penguins skating on it. When her mother pointed out the windows of the house, she clapped her hands, seeing the stuffed penguins set up inside. "It's cute," she said happily.

"You're right, it definitely is," Beckett said, enjoying watching Julia's reaction.

"Mommy," Julia said after her mother had taken some pictures. "Do you know how to skate?"

"I do," Beckett said. "I want to try and take you to learn one of these days before we go back to school and work."

"But I don't have skates," Julia said doubtfully as she took Beckett and Castle's hands and they continued down the street.

"Maybe Santa will give you a pair," Castle said. "He probably knows you need some."

"Oh, does he?" Julia asked, looking surprised at that.

"Of course, it's Santa, he knows what you want to get and need," Castle said, glancing at Beckett as he spoke. When she looked at him questioningly he shrugged a little and looked down at her daughter, seeing the little girl was watching them. "So-" he started to say.

"Do you talk without words a lot?" Julia asked.

"Pretty much," Beckett said, not surprised she'd picked up on that. "But we do that mostly when we're at work," she said quickly. "I remember you mentioning something about hot chocolate, Castle?" she then directed to him.

"I did," Castle replied. "Next house they're selling it at, I'll buy us all a cup." He kept his word and once they came to the first house on the main part of the street that had a couple selling drinks and desserts, he bought three cups.

"Is this your daughter?" the wife asked, smiling at Julia who was hiding a little behind her mother.

"She is," Beckett said, knowing already the woman thought Julia was their daughter, not just hers.

"Hi," Julia said shyly. But she was looking at the dog that was next to the heater the couple had set up next to them; a little French bulldog.

"That's Pierre," the man said, making the drinks. "Have to keep the French theme."

"It's a nice name," Julia said as the dog snorted a little and then shook. "It has a little coat Mommy," she said, looking up at Beckett.

"Here," Castle said then, handing the first cup to Julia. "Be careful with that it's going to be hot," he warned as she took it, Beckett helping to make sure she could hold it with her mittens.

After she and Castle had gotten their cups, Beckett watched Julia carefully as they continued down the street to the next house. She smiled when her daughter licked carefully at the whipped cream on top, and she told her, "You don't have to worry about that sweetie."

"I can eat it?" Julia asked.

"Do you want to keep going?" Castle asked as they looked at the next display.

"For now," Beckett said. "When we finish the drinks I'll see."

"Fair enough," Castle said, glancing over at Julia being seeing she wasn't listening to them. He walked with Beckett as her daughter led the way down the sidewalk, and they navigated through the other people on the sidewalk; the area becoming more crowded with families as it grew later. "Julia," he said as the little girl was looking down at her drink and nearly ran into a woman pushing a stroller. "Come here," he said, motioning for her to come back to them as her cheeks were suddenly red.

"Let me see if you can drink this," Beckett said, knowing her daughter was embarrassed. She sipped at the hot chocolate and nodded saying, "Go ahead, but slowly since it's still warm."

Sipping at her drink, Julia took her mother's free hand, keeping close to her as they walked by more homes, stopping to look before moving on. She was quiet, a little uncomfortable as they walked by more and more people. As they went across the street at a cul-de-sac that ended the neighborhood, she started to shiver, her drink long since gone and the wind hitting them directly making her a lot colder.

"Cheeks are freezing," Castle said, rubbing them as they stopped at another home.

"I know," Beckett said, glancing back at Julia. "She's-" she started to say as she realized something was wrong.

"Hey," Castle said, hurrying back to the little girl. "Getting cold?" When Julia nodded, he picked her up and said, "Now I think it's time to carry you," as he set her on his hip.

"Turn your head the other way," Beckett told her daughter, rubbing her back. "So the wind isn't hitting your face okay?" When Julia nodded, she said to Castle, "We need to head back."

"Another hot chocolate might be in order," Castle said. "And she never got that dessert for keeping her hat on," he said when she opened her mouth to protest.

"Fine, but we'll have it in the car," Beckett said.

"Can't I still see the houses Mommy?" Julia asked, turning to her.

"Yes, but until Castle stops, keep your head turned that way okay?" Beckett said, rubbing her daughter's red cheeks. "Does that hurt?" she asked as Julia made a sound of protest and tilted her head away.

"Little," Julia said. When her mother started to pull her scarf up onto her face she tried to pull it down, not liking it against her mouth.

"Keep it there," Beckett said a little firmly. "If you want to talk you can pull it down to speak, but I want it covering your nose and cheeks. Okay?"

When Julia nodded, Castle continued down the street with Beckett walking next to him, looking at the homes. When they came to the last house that was selling drinks and food, he handed Julia to her. "Want anything?" he asked her before he gave her the keys to his car.

"Coffee if they have it," Beckett said.

"No dessert?" Castle called as she walked to where his car was parked. He wasn't sure if she shook or nodded her head in response, and turned to the table set up on the driveway, getting in the short line.

"Okay," Beckett said once she was with Julia in the back of the car. "How's your face sweetie?"

"Cold Mommy," Julia said, though she could feel her skin tingling with the heater on. When Beckett cupped her face with her much warmer hands she did the same to her mother's cheeks and said, "Are you cold too?"

"Not as much as you," Beckett said, leaning down and kissing her cheeks. "But you had a lot of fun I'm guessing?"

"Yeah, it was lots of fun and lots and lots of lights," Julia said eagerly. "I liked the blue my favorite one."

"Me too," Beckett said in slight amusement before she took Julia onto her lap. "You-" she started to say when the door opened and she slid down the seat as Castle came in and sat next to her. "Cold?" she asked as he reacted to the heat of the car.

"Standing in place, yes," Castle said, handing them two of the drinks in tray he was carrying. "But that wasn't too bad."

"No, I'm glad you remembered this," Beckett said. "Think we should still watch the boats?"

"I think so," Castle said, trying to sip his coffee but nearly burning his tongue. "But it depends on you, we can try and watch from inside the house but we won't be able to see that well."

Looking down at Julia who was licking up the whipped cream on the cocoa, Beckett sighed and said, "How long does it last?"

"It depends on the number of boats. Likely thirty, forty minutes," Castle said, thinking for a moment. "Oh, Julia, your dessert," he said, taking something out of the pocket of his coat and handing it to the little girl.

"Thank you," Julia said seriously, taking the gingerbread cookie. "It's my favorite."

"I remembered," Castle said, taking another one out from his pocket.

"You couldn't tell my answer could you?" Beckett asked as she took it from him, a smile turning up the corners of lips a little.

"Sorry, but we can split that if you want," Castle said.

"Already had that in mind," Beckett said, setting her cup down and breaking the cookie in half before giving him one piece.

"So the boats," Castle stated before he took a bite.

"Can't we see them Mommy? Outside?" Julia asked, having been listening to them as she drank and then ate her cookie.

"Alright," Beckett said, thinking for a minute. "We can go down to the beach. But," she said as Julia and Castle looked at her in surprise. "You need to bundle up Julia, as many layers as I can get on you."

"Doesn't she already have as many as she can?" Castle asked.

"No, I can get, maybe another two on her," Beckett said.

"But what if I don't walk?" Julia asked.

"I think I'll have to carry you again," Castle said. "But at least you'll be able to see the boats. And you," he said, turning his attention to Beckett.

"Me what?" Beckett asked, brushing some crumbs off his lips.

"Will you be bundling up as well?" Castle asked.

"Yes, I should have realized it was so cold," Beckett said. "But I'm not usually around a beach in winter. We need to hurry though," she said, looking at her watch. "You said it starts at eight?"

"Oh, right, are you set Julia?" Castle asked the little girl. When she nodded, he waited for Beckett to put her daughter in her car seat, and then got out with her, going as fast as they could to keep the cold from filling the car. "You're not freezing?" he asked as they went to the passenger door. All he got was a shake of her head in reply as she hurried back into the car; the cold seeming to be stronger after the heater inside; and he rushed around to the driver's side and almost jumped in. The relief at being warm again was immediate, and he had to wonder if they were going to end up freezing watching the festival on the beach.

* * *

"I doubt staying for a full half hour," Beckett commented to Castle as they were standing on the beach in front of his house.

"I know, but she's pretty well covered," Castle said. "Good call putting that jacket on her."

"It covers her face," Beckett said simply, watching Julia as she walked down along the line of shells in the sand. She was covered from head to toe, only her eyes peeking out from the hood of her coat and her scarf. "Julia," she called to the little girl. "Are you warm?" When the little girl nodded she covered her mouth back up with her scarf when Castle pointed to the east and she turned in that direction, seeing a boat coming towards them.

Julia jumped up and down as best she could as the parade of boats went by them. They were decorated with lights, some having themes to them, and while they could see the people on deck, no one spoke, only waved in greeting. It took less time than Castle had initially guessed, instead taking twenty minutes. After they were sure the last boat had gone by, they hurried inside and took off the extra layers they wore.

"Mommy, I'm not sleepy," Julia said as Beckett set her layers aside and picked her up.

Not answering, Beckett carried her daughter upstairs, and she continued to keep quiet as she got Julia out of her clothes and into her pajamas. "Castle," she called to him as he was waiting outside. "Julia," she finally said after helping her daughter brush her teeth as the little girl kept repeating what she had said. "You need to go to sleep."

"No," Julia said firmly, getting off the bed with her Stitch doll in her hand. She ran to the armchair and leaned against it, looking up at her mother.

Castle opened his mouth; intending to say something to get Julia to go to bed; but Beckett raised her hand to stop him. He stepped back, wondering how she was going to handle her daughter that time.

"So you're not tired yet?" Beckett asked, unzipping her boots one at a time and taking them off.

"No! I want to stay up and watch a movie," Julia said, almost stamping her foot as she pouted.

"Okay," Beckett sighed. "Then I guess you don't want to lay down here with me in the warm bed? I wanted to talk but I'll just think to myself since you're not going to join me," she said as she lay down on the bed, looking at her daughter.

Castle was a little surprised when Julia looked torn then, and he smiled slightly when she finally ran across to the bed.

"I'll lay down Mommy," Julia said, trying to get up.

"Let me help," Castle said, picking her up. He watched as she started to get under the covers with her mother when he saw the look Beckett was giving him. "Julia," he said quickly before she could lie down. "I'm going to head to my room, so why don't I say goodnight since you're going to be talking with your mom?"

"Kay, night Castle," Julia said, standing up and hugging before she kissed his cheek. "Thank you for lights and my cookie."

"You're welcome," Castle said with a slight laugh as he hugged her back and kissed her cheek. "And sleep tight Julia," he said as she went under the covers with her mother. He squeezed Beckett's hand and then left, slightly closing the door before he went downstairs. He made some coffee, and headed back up once he was finished, standing just outside the door. He could hear the two murmuring, and smiled as by then, Julia's voice was coming out shorter and slower than when he'd left them. After another minute, he could hear the covers on the bed rustling, and Beckett soon came out, her boots in her hand. He waited until she had closed the door behind her before saying, "That was an amazing idea."

"I know, I've had to use it once before," Beckett said. "But she was exhausted, so much so she couldn't get to sleep."

"I hate when I get that way," Castle said as they went down the stairs. "Next time that happens will you lie in bed and talk with me?"

"And will I be clothed or nude if I do that?" Beckett asked him sarcastically.

"Your choice," Castle said easily. "I made some coffee," he told her as she rolled her eyes and started to put her boots back on.

"Great, I want to go outside for a little, it'll keep us warm," Beckett said, walking to the kitchen. "Or just me if I'll be on my own."

"You want to go back out?" Castle asked in surprise.

Beckett didn't reply to that, instead turning and going to the door out to the backyard. As she was putting on her sweater, she said, "Decided to join me?" as Castle walked up to her.

"Pretty much," Castle said, setting down the mugs of coffee he held. "I just hope those don't freeze while we're out there," he told her as he put on his sweater and jacket before putting on his coat.

Once they were outside, Beckett led Castle over to the gazebo, sitting down and sipping at her coffee. "Not as cold here," she told him as he sat down next to her.

"No, the wind's stronger closer to the water," Castle said. "Speaking of that, any reason why you wanted to come out in this cold? For a second time?"

"I'm not so worried about myself in the cold," Beckett said. "My daughter, yes."

"You know, it's interesting to see you more and more as a mother," Castle said before he took a sip of his coffee.

"You've mentioned that before," Beckett said. She leaned back and said, "Are you trying to compliment me, before letting me know that I'm not giving you enough inspiration for Nikki Heat anymore?"

"What? No," Castle said. "I started this next book with you very much a mother, so no, that's not likely going to happen. Actually, what I was trying to say was that you as a mother is letting me see different aspects to your personality."

"Is that a positive or negative," Beckett asked a little warily.

"Positive," Castle assured her. "I'm including some of that into Nikki Heat this book, should turn out to be the best so far."

Beckett took a sip of her coffee so he wouldn't see her exasperation at his self-compliment, and she then said, "Are Alexis and Martha ready?"

"They know what they need to bring," Castle said, knowing what she meant.

"Great," Beckett said. "Castle, I can see you out of the corner of my eye, watching me, what is it?" she asked, letting annoyance tinge her voice though she was only pretending; used to him doing that.

"You're sure you're not worried about your gifts to her?" Castle asked, knowing she was only joking.

"No, are you trying to get me to bet with you again?" Beckett said.

"Not at all," Castle said. When she looked at him for a while, he finally said, "You're still alright with this?"

"First, thank you for not checking on me every single night since we've gotten here," Beckett said, holding up her hand. "I appreciate that, and second, you don't have to ask anymore, I'm pretty well adjusted to doing this again. Like I told you before, we're not celebrating the same way I did with my parents, which helps."

"That's good to hear," Castle said, reaching over to her and squeezing her hand.

"You were right about those lights, and I can kind of see why they stopped that competition Rebecca Foster was talking about," Beckett said after they'd sat in silence, getting closer to finishing their coffee.

"Even without the competition they're still really good displays," Castle said with a nod. "There are times I want to try that here," he said, motioning with his mug to the house. "But we're not always here, and this year I didn't want to go overboard with the lights."

"Sometimes simpler is better," Beckett said, smiling slightly to herself. "And you did a great job with these lights."

"These?" Castle asked, motioning to the ones hanging around the gazebo. When she nodded he smiled slightly saying, "It was a flash of genius. I was thinking of what colors your daughter might like, well, debating colored versus white lights, and got this in my mind for some reason."

"Yes, well, it was a good idea," Beckett said, not missing another compliment for himself.

"Speaking of Christmas," Castle began. "When my mom and Alexis get here, do you need to ap." He suddenly reached up to his mouth and looked confused as Beckett looked at him in puzzlement.

"Ap?" Beckett asked, wondering how that slip up had happened.

"I think my lips are going numb. Excuse me," Castle said, slapping his mouth slightly a few times. "Okay, wrap, do you need to wrap?" he asked when he got the feeling back in them again. "What?" he asked when she shook her head in response to his question, but was smirking at him.

"Oh, how many times I've wanted to do that over the years since we've met," Beckett said, leaning back on the side of the gazebo again.

"Well, slapping my mouth isn't very arou-" Castle began to say.

"Not to get you off Castle," Beckett said quickly, rolling her eyes. "But to shut you up. Especially your more outrageous theories; it would have been handy."

"It could be sexual," Castle said, watching as Beckett shook her head and stood up. "So that-" he began.

"Numb again?" Beckett asked, turning when he stopped. When he nodded she walked up to him as he rubbed his lips, and pulled the front of his coat until he was near enough for her to take his lips with her own. She could feel they were cold, but that soon disappeared as their kiss went on until they needed to breathe.

"More effective method than slapping them," Castle said. He was a little taken aback when she grabbed his hand, pulling him back to the house. Before they got to the door he stopped her and kissed her, harder than before.

When she had pulled away, Beckett said simply, "Again?"

"Actually no," Castle said. He laughed when Beckett tried to hit him, and followed her inside where they set aside their extra layers after taking them off. When he tried to grab for her again as soon as they were done, he was surprised when she stopped him and said, "Sorry?"

"No, no apology needed, but you really don't need to revert to subterfuge for something like that," Beckett said. "You're aware of that right?"

"Yes, and please say that again," Castle said.

"I don't know Castle," Beckett said, knowing he'd meant the word subterfuge. She let a wide smile spread across her face as she said, "I think I'd like to hear you take a stab at some words. But," stopping him by placing her hand on his chest when he took a step towards her. "I think we need some place a little more… private than this hall."

"Sure," Castle said, trying not to let his excitement take over his tone. "Think you can try some words after that?"

"Why not?" Beckett said. "I have a number of them in mind." She then leaned into him and whispered into his ear for a while before pulling away, smirking at the brief shocked expression on his face. She turned and walked to the stairs, stopping before she reached them asking, "Want to get started?"

"Very much so, yes," Castle said, nodding. He hurried to her before she could go up the first step, and kissed her deeply before she could respond to that. When they had parted, he took her hand and entwining their fingers, led her up the stairs to her soft laughter setting off a thrill through his body.


	4. Snow Is Falling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Christmas Eve by Ringo Starr and Mark Hudson, from Ringo's album I Wanna Be Santa Claus.

Humming slightly under her breath, Beckett didn't realize she was doing so until Castle spoke, startling her from her thoughts.

"Have that song stuck in your head?" he asked as he walked over to her, drying off his hands.

"I guess, what was I doing?" Beckett asked in surprise.

"Humming _This Guitar_ ," Castle said.

"Then that would be a yes," Beckett said. "It's pretty catchy though."

"Oh, you don't have to apologize," Castle said. "Sounds better with you humming than me hearing it in my head."

"Better than George Harrison singing? Sure you're not coming down with a cold?" Beckett said teasingly as she went into the kitchen and rinsed off the rag she'd used to clean the table. "I always wonder about some songs on these albums she has."

"She's listened to them before though," Castle said, glancing towards the family room where her daughter was as he spoke in a low voice.

"Yes, but did you notice a few songs aren't with the albums?" Beckett said.

"Would you really want her listening to _Long Leather Coat_ , or _Big Boys Bickering_?" Castle asked.

"You make a good point," Beckett said. "So she was watching out for Julia there too."

"But those songs are few and far between luckily," Castle said. "It's why people play Beatles music to very young kids."

"Thank you for pointing that out, my daughter is still a very young kid," Beckett said, shaking her head though she was smiling. "Another half hour," she said as she took the towel he still had in his hands and dried off her own.

"You have something in mind," Castle said, recognizing the way her voice became slower at the end of that statement.

Smiling still, Beckett turned to him and asked, "Do you have any paper and scissors?"

Julia was softly singing as best she could to the song _Tired of Midnight Blue_ playing on her mother's tablet when Beckett and Castle walked in, drawing her attention away from her coloring book. "Mommy, are they here?" she asked earnestly as Beckett sat down next to her in front of the coffee table.

"Not yet," Castle answered for her. "But your mom apparently wants to do something until they get here."

"Remember those paper snowflakes we talked about?" Beckett asked, taking one of the sheets of printer paper Castle had given her. "I know you want to make some with Alexis, but how about we cut some now, and hang them up somewhere in the house?"

"Where?" Julia asked, smiling widely at that.

"That's up to you," Beckett said, looking at her boyfriend. "It is your house."

"Actually, I'm going to let you both decide," Castle said. "But can I make a suggestion?" he said in an exaggerated whisper to Julia.

Giggling at him, Julia nodded and said, "Kay."

"Hang them up in the windows, they'll look awesome," Castle said, widening his eyes which made the little girl laugh again.

"How do I cut them Mommy?" Julia said eagerly.

"Okay, first we fold the paper," Beckett said as Julia hurriedly climbed onto her lap. "And then you need to think of the design," she said. Once she had finished folding, she then drew some lines with a pencil and picked up one of the scissors.

"I want to cut Mommy! Let me cut!" Julia said, trying to grab them.

"Wait, sweetie you might hurt yourself," Beckett said, grabbing her daughter's hand with her free hand.

Seeing the pout on Julia's lips, Castle quickly recognized the girl wasn't going to take no for an answer, and he quickly got her attention saying, "You know, I think your hand is a little too small for the scissors, but you can always help your mom. She might need it, you never know."

"Can I?" Julia asked Beckett, sounding a little breathless.

"Of course, he's right, I always can use help," Beckett said before kissing her daughter's temple. "Especially if it's you helping me."

"What about Castle?" Julia asked as she put her hand on Beckett's as it cut through the paper.

Smirking slightly at him, Beckett said, "Not all the time, but once in a while is good."

"Once in a while," Castle muttered under his breath. He glanced up from his paper he'd started to cut, and saw the knowing smile on Beckett's face. He squeezed her arm with his free hand, and went back to the paper. Finishing up the snowflake he'd drawn while listening to her and Julia, he opened it saying, "Take a look… oh, never mind, just kidding," before he crumpled the oddly shaped paper and tossed it on the couch behind them.

"You need to pay more attention to the shapes Castle," Beckett said teasingly as she opened her snowflake, revealing one with rectangular shapes making the points.

"Shapes… of course," Castle said, trailing off slightly as he let his eyes go down the length of Beckett's form, down to her legs. He was interrupted in starting to go back up when she smacked him on the arm. "Sorry, wrong shapes," he said, though he was anything but contrite.

Rolling her eyes, Beckett went back to the next snowflake she was making and said to her daughter, "I'm going to cut this one by myself, it's a little tougher."

Watching eagerly as her mother cut the paper in front of her; Julia gasped as Beckett opened the paper, and revealed a line of stars. "It's so beautiful Mommy," she said happily, touching it.

"I should just let you guys take care of this," Castle said, having been watching. "You're a lot better than I am."

"I've had a lot of practice," Beckett said simply, kissing Julia's cheek as she folded another piece of paper.

Castle began to open his mouth to reply to that, when he stopped, knowing she didn't want him to ask about her mother in front of Julia. But he could almost see in his mind's eye, Beckett with her mother almost the same as she and Julia were, cutting and drawing on the folded pieces of paper. He didn't say anything until almost twenty minutes later, when Julia stood up to stretch her legs. "They should be arriving pretty soon," he said as he took the chance to take a break and check his watch.

"Mommy, can I put these in Alexis' room, for a surprise?" Julia asked, picking up some of the snowflakes.

"Go ahead sweetie," Beckett said. She grabbed her daughter before she could leave, and hugged her tightly to her saying, "You're a good friend you know."

"Thank you Mommy," Julia giggled. "Alexis is too." When her mother loosened her hold, she shared a kiss with her before she left the room.

"I'm fine," Beckett said quickly, standing up. "But I was pushing it with that."

"Was that a tradition with your mom?" Castle asked, standing up as well.

"Yeah, every year since I was three, we would cut out snowflakes, and put them in the windows of my bedroom," Beckett said as she looked down at some of the ones she and Julia had worked on together in her hands.

"That's not a bad tradition to continue," Castle said, watching her.

"No, but," Beckett began before she sighed. "I didn't tell you, but Julia asked me last week if she wrote to Santa, asking for her grandmother to come for Christmas if he would give her that."

"She…" Castle began, looking out the door of the family room. "Is she asking for herself, or for you?"

Beckett opened her mouth to speak when a soft voice spoke in the doorway saying, "For you Mommy." Turning, she saw it was Julia, and she smiled, fighting back the tears at her daughter's earnest face. She walked over to the doorway, and picked up her daughter, hugging her tightly. "That is very sweet of you Julia," she said, pulling back to look at her. "I wish Santa could do that though, I know you want to meet your grandmama."

Julia nodded and hugged her mother again whispering in Beckett's ear, "That's from Grandmama so you won't be sad." She hugged her tighter and said, "That's from Grandpapa too, he said to hug you for him when he is at his cabin."

"Thank you," Beckett said, not sure if she was crying; she certainly felt like breaking down into tears. But she didn't want to scare her daughter, so she kissed Julia tenderly on the cheek before setting her down. "Why don't you go see if they're here yet?" she asked her.

"Can I?" Julia asked eagerly.

"Go ahead," Castle said then, having watched in silence while the two had spoken. "Don't open the door," he said suddenly as he remembered that she was able do that. "Just watch from the living room!" When they were alone he turned to Beckett and touched her shoulder, unsure of how she would respond.

"I'm fine," Beckett said. "I-" she began, trying to sidestep him, not really wanting to talk about what had just happened. But when he simply hugged her she fell silent and hugged him back saying, "She's insanely perceptive."

"And she loves her mother, a lot," Castle said, rubbing her back gently. "You've done a lot for her Kate, and so has she; for you."

"Yeah, safe to say we need each other," Beckett said, smiling slightly. "Thank you for not… digging in deeper by the way."

"Didn't think it was a good point to try that," Castle said.

When he didn't let her go, still running his hand over her back, Beckett smiled a little wider and said, "You know, I did hit you for that shapes comment, but I can do it again; and a lot harder."

"Damn, ruined my fun," Castle said jokingly. But he didn't let her go, only stopped rubbing her back. Before she could pull away he leaned down and kissed her, doing so slowly before he gradually pulled away from her.

"Are you-" Beckett began to say when he kissed her again; a little harder that time. She was holding on to him, but tightened her grip as he pulled her closer to him. But before they could get a little lost in each other, she heard her daughter start to squeal, and she broke off their kiss. "I'm pretty sure they're here," she said.

"Sounds like it," Castle said as he let her go and then followed her to the front door. "Easy Julia," he said before the little girl could open the door. "You and your mom stay in-"

"Who will stay in until she puts on her coat," Beckett said quickly as she grabbed it from the closet as he was getting his. "They'll need help Castle."

"Right, stay here then Julia, we'll be back inside," Castle said, glancing at Beckett.

"He's right, stay here for us okay?" Beckett asked. When her daughter nodded, she kissed her gently and then followed him out into the cold where Alexis was pulling up to the garage.

There weren't any greetings exchanged, the weather having suddenly become very stormy and the wind biting at the four as they hurried to get everything from the car to the house, which included more boxes with presents. Castle took the car to the garage after they had finished, and joined the others inside where Julia was hugging Alexis tightly around the neck as his daughter had picked her up.

"I'm so happy to see you too," Alexis was saying to Julia. "I can see the lights. My dad sent me a picture of them at night but I hope we can check them out tonight. You can show me everything."

"Looks like it might start snowing at any moment, I thought we might be racing a blizzard from the city," Martha said after hugging Castle. "You three seem to be doing pretty well."

"We are," Beckett said, rubbing her arms as her coat had done little to keep out the cold. "Why don't you go into the family room, I know Julia's eager to show you the tree she picked out."

"That's right, lead on Julia, let us see what you have decided," Martha said as Julia giggled shyly and took Alexis' hand.

When they were alone Beckett began to speak, but Castle quickly said, "It's there, bottom of the trunk. I thought I would try and chance going out there tonight when she's asleep."

"Great, because I need to get it ready tonight," Beckett said seriously.

"Point taken," Castle said, looking down at the boxes. "Should we hide this?"

"Only one of those is mine," Beckett said. "And it's fine where it is."

"Okay, then why don't we go ahead and join our families?" Castle said before he followed her to the family room. He held back in the doorway, watching Julia talking to Alexis about the ornaments as Martha made a few comments from where she was standing next to them. He glanced at Beckett, and saw her looking back at him. He stepped fully into the room, taking her outstretched hand with his before they joined the others around the tree.

* * *

"Soup was a great idea Dad," Alexis said as they were finishing up lunch. "It was as if the heater wasn't working at all on that drive. Luckily we had some drinks that kept us relatively warm."

"What kind of drinks?" Castle asked a little suspiciously.

"I had coffee," Alexis said in exasperation. "And so did Gram."

"No wine until we got to the beach house," Martha said, entering the kitchen. "That was her rule, though why she didn't trust me enough to just ask if I would do that, I have no idea. So how has it been these past four days?"

"Good," Castle said, looking at his mother questioningly. "Why?"

"She was wondering the whole drive over, how Beckett was going to be this Christmas," Alexis said. "And also if you were going to push her into the celebrations."

"Mother, you know me better than that," Castle said. "Though I'm not surprised you were thinking that actually. But, this is her first Christmas with Julia; she wants to make it a good one, so I'm controlling myself. Which is actually more difficult than I thought it would be."

"I knew it," Martha said. "But it seems like things are going well, extremely well for you and Beckett."

"And Julia," Castle said, wondering what exactly his mother was getting at, though he was starting to get an idea.

"Yes well-" Martha began to say when they heard a loud squeal from upstairs, and Beckett calling out her daughter's name loudly in exasperation.

"Twenty dollars it's her slippers again," Castle said to Alexis.

"No bet, I know it's her slippers," Alexis said. "I've had the same tone of voice when I tried to get her to put them on. Oh, here she comes," she said, turning around and seeing the little girl running to them.

"Easy," Castle said quickly as he grabbed Julia when she ran straight to him, sliding a little. "You're going to slip and hit your head on something. Why don't you have slippers on?"

"Don't wanna," Julia said when she straightened up and ran behind Castle, peeking around his legs.

"Where is she?" Beckett asked, coming up to the kitchen, Julia's slippers in her hands.

"Who?" Castle asked, though he knew Beckett could easily see where her daughter was. When she stared at him he said, "She said something about going out for ice cream…"

"Oh, I can I have ice cream?" Julia asked, popping out from behind him.

"Not when it's this cold," Beckett said quickly. "Julia, your slippers, please."

"My feet are not cold Mommy," Julia whined, ducking back behind Castle.

"If I may?" he asked Beckett then, holding out his hand to her. When she had handed him the slippers he nodded to Alexis, who quickly picked up Julia and set her in one of the chairs at the island, turning her towards him. "Ready?" he asked his daughter.

"Set," Alexis said with a quick nod to him.

"Go," Castle said, and with that, Alexis tickled Julia as he held her feet steady while she laughed and put on the slippers. "Alright, that's gotta be a new world record," he said, holding up his hands when he had finished.

"No fair," Julia pouted for a minute before she giggled. "Thank you Castle, Alexis," she said as she then held her arms out to her mother. "Sorry Mommy."

"That's alright," Beckett said, kissing her cheek before she set Julia down. "I'm used to you doing that. You're sure you're not tired?"

"No, no nap," Julia said, shaking her head.

"Did you see outside Julia?" Alexis asked the little girl then.

"Why?" Julia said in confusion. When Alexis just pointed to the windows at the table, she hurried over to them, and looked out. "Mommy, now there's lots of snow falling!" she cried with a gasp. "Can I go out? Please, if I'm warm?"

"Alright," Beckett said. "Though putting on the slippers was kind of pointless now," she said to Castle. "Thank you."

"Not a problem, and I'm sure Alexis and I will have to put them on again once we come back inside," Castle said.

"You're coming outside too?" Beckett asked. "Wait sweetie," she quickly said to Julia who was tugging on her hand.

"Sure, remember that snowball fight we were talking about?" Castle reminded her. "Now there's four of us, I call Julia on my team."

"But I never threw before," Julia said with a little smile on her face at that.

"You're still pretty good, you threw one right on my back," Castle said.

"Alright, but let's get her into warmer clothes first at least before we start building our ammo," Beckett said. "Come on Julia now we can go."

Once they were all bundled up, Castle walked outside into the backyard with Julia, telling her, "Best way to win a snowball fight is to make as many as you can, really fast, so you don't waste time making them once the fight starts. And another thing, if you're wearing white you can disguise yourself and run over to the other team and get them without them realizing before it's too late."

"How do you do that?" Julia asked, looking up at him.

"We'll cover you in snow-" Castle started to say.

"Not going to happen," Beckett said quickly, in slight irritation. "There's no way you're going to cover my daughter in snow."

"Okay, I withdraw my idea," Castle said as they all stopped in the middle of the yard. "I'll think of something else; something that your mom won't get mad at me about," he whispered to Julia.

Giggling she asked, "What do we do now?"

"Snow wall?" Alexis asked.

"No, I don't think the snow is the right consistency to stay solid," Castle said, testing it by kicking it. "And not enough still for that. So we'll have it an open air snowball fight. Five minutes to make our ammo, and then we'll wage war."

"Making it sound a little more violent than it needs to," Beckett said, surprised when Julia took a step towards her. "No, you're with Castle sweetie, you go with him. That's what he meant when he said you're on his side."

"I am?" Julia asked, looking up at Castle. "But I'm too small."

"No way," Castle said quickly, picking her up. "I think you'll be really good at throwing, and also, you can sneak up on your mom and Alexis better than I could."

Julia nodded as she giggled again saying, "You're too tall to do that."

"Let's get going," Castle said, carrying her over to the other side of the yard. "And let's start making a stockpile of snowballs."

After Beckett and Alexis had gone across the yard from them, all four made a pile of ammunition out of the snow as quickly as they could. Once five minutes were up, they began after Beckett had counted them in, and for a while, she and Alexis were focusing on hitting Castle rather than Julia.

"Hey, I'm not alone on this side!" he yelled when he realized what they were doing as he couldn't get a good shot at them.

"Trying to even the playing field," Alexis called to him, though she threw her next snowball at Julia. She smiled when she heard the little girl's squeal at being hit and laughed when her dad pelted her on the shoulder in her distraction.

"You have to pay-" Castle started to say when he was hit on the chin and the snow flew into his face. "Not fair," he yelled to Beckett, but was hit with another two on his chest. "Come on!" he yelled again though he was able to hit his daughter before he aimed at Beckett, managing to get her on the leg.

Throwing the last snowball that she had, Beckett was able to get Castle's shoulder before Alexis threw her last just after her. She was a little startled when she managed to hit Julia on the face; her daughter tensing up immediately. "Julia, are you okay?" she asked, taking off at a run as Castle's daughter followed her.

"She's okay," Castle told her, getting the snow off of Julia's face. "Just stunned her."

"I'm sorry Julia," Alexis said, hugging her tightly. "I didn't know it would hit you in the face."

"Sweetie, say something," Beckett said, starting to grow concerned.

Julia looked up at the three, and then crushed the snowball in her hand on Alexis' shoulder.

"Oh," Castle said with a smile. "Looks like we won with that, I believe you two are all out of ammo."

"She's learning too much from you Dad," Alexis said, picking up Julia as the little girl shrieked with laughter. "But that was a nice move Julia, you definitely won this time."

"Thank you," Julia said. "And you did good too; you stopped me from throwing mine for a little."

"It was a strategic shot," Beckett said with a smile. "But I think that's enough for today-" she began.

"Wait, I wanted to take another stab at that snowman with Julia," Castle said to stop her. "Even brought extra gloves for it," he showed Julia.

"Please Mommy?" Julia asked, grabbing Castle's hand and giving her mother a pleading look.

"Are you cold at all?" Beckett asked, sighing as she was unable to say no to her daughter's expression.

"No, I threw fast Mommy, I'm warm," Julia said.

"Okay, just one snowman, nothing outrageous," Beckett said, pointing her finger at Castle so he knew without a doubt she was addressing him. "And then back inside for my daughter and me."

"And me and my daughter?" Castle asked.

"You can go wherever, you too Alexis," Beckett said. "Does anyone have their phone on them?"

"I do," Alexis said. "Want me to take some pictures?"

"If you can, I'll take them off your phone back inside," Beckett said.

"Actually I might keep them, but somewhere safe," Alexis assured her. "But we'll link up our phones later." She turned to her dad, but he and Julia were already pushing some snow together and she smiled at Beckett before she hurried over to join them.

"Couldn't wait?" Beckett asked.

"Your daughter couldn't," Castle said simply. But with the look Beckett was giving him he finally admitted, "Alright, a little of that was me too, but you know, I wanted to make sure that she got the snowman made before she got too cold."

"Let's get this finished before then," Beckett said, shaking her head.

Between the four of them; even though Julia was learning as she went; the snowman was quickly finished, and after digging for some rocks, Alexis took Julia down to the beach where the snow wasn't quite covering the shells on the sand. Staying behind, Beckett and Castle watched their daughters in silence before he spoke first, turning to her.

"Want to check out the pictures?" he asked her, holding out Alexis' phone.

"Sure," Beckett said as she took it. She smiled as she saw there were a few from the snowball fight, and then some taken while they'd made the snowman. "I should send these to my dad," she commented.

"He's not off grid at the cabin?" Castle said.

"No, well, he'll like seeing the pictures," Beckett said. "I gave him a photo album; not really for Christmas, but just for him to have so he has pictures of his granddaughter other than on his phone."

"I thought you said you were still working on your second one?" Castle asked.

"I put that aside," Beckett said with a smile. "Until I finished his, which was pretty small so it didn't take me long."

"Expect a lot of photo albums," Castle said as he checked to see where Alexis and Julia were. "I have about… twenty of them? Of Alexis from not even a day old to that Christmas party we went to with my mother last week."

"I know, my parents had a lot of pictures of me," Beckett said. "My dad has them still."

"And you have a couple of them," Castle finished. When she looked at him in confusion he quickly said, "I saw them in your room and… took a peek at them."

"Peek," Beckett scoffed. "You know if you wanted to take a look at them you could have just asked."

"No I couldn't," Castle argued. "You would never have let me look at them. So I had to find the perfect opportunity, and look them both through."

"It took you more than one time didn't it?" Beckett said though she was smiling.

"It did, but it was worth it," Castle said. He checked on Julia and said quickly, "I didn't think you were serious when you told her about taking ballet."

"It was brief," Beckett said, looking at him from the corner of her eye. "I never really picked it up, but I did like getting to practice at the _barre_. At that age," she continued quickly when Castle started to speak. "I thought that was the coolest thing to do, plus, a lot of my friends were in the same class."

"Do you remember anything from practicing?" Castle asked.

"No, so don't try and get me to show you anything," Beckett said. "And besides, I think you enjoy when I show you those yoga positions I've learned than any ballet positions I could remember."

"Yes," Castle said simply. When Beckett looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue obviously, he shook his head saying, "No, brain just locked up remembering something. I'm done."

Rolling her eyes, Beckett saw Julia was running up to them, Alexis walking behind her, so she reached over and grabbed Castle's ear, tugging it. When he only reacted to the movement by following her grasp she asked, "Numb?"

"Yeah, I should do that with an ice cube, be less painful when you do that," Castle said, rubbing his ears.

"Mommy," Julia said, looking up at them in confusion. "We got shells."

"Great job," Beckett said. "Where do you want to put them?"

Once Alexis was back with them, she and Julia finished decorating the snowman, and took some pictures of it and also the little girl in front of it. She took Julia's hand and led her back inside as her dad and Beckett stayed out for a few minutes longer.

"If it gets windy," Beckett told him when they were alone. "Your gloves are going to be long gone."

"True," Castle said, grabbing them. "Does she still want to make snowflakes?" he asked as they went back up to the house then.

"I believe so," Beckett said absently. "No, sorry, just remembering if I have anything else to get ready besides… the gifts," she said as he looked at her questioningly.

"I think you're pretty well set," Castle said. "But you do realize it might take you a while to put out… the gifts."

"I remember when it took me a while to fall asleep on Christmas Eve," Beckett said with a smile, looking at him as they took off their outer layers, the door closed behind them.

"You still did? You didn't believe in Santa so what was the point?" Castle asked. When Beckett shot him a look he quickly said, "Well, of course, presents are exciting still."

"And I know it might take longer to put my daughter to bed tonight," Beckett said. "So I'll have to try some of my better tricks to get her to sleep, but whether or not she'll fall asleep quickly I'll need to see."

"Mommy," Julia said, running over to them. "Can-"

"Where did you get that cookie?" Beckett asked, taking her hand.

"Alexis got it for me, I'm hungry," Julia said simply. She looked down at the sugar cookie shaped like a tree and held it out to her mother. "Do you want a bite?"

"Thank you, but you know you need to save those for tomorrow and for Santa," Beckett said before she took a bite.

"Do you too Castle?" Julia asked, holding the cookie out to him.

"Thanks," Castle said, picking her up so he could take a bite as well.

"Will Santa like these?" Julia said.

"I think so," Castle said. "Came out pretty good," he said, looking at Beckett.

"She did most of the work, you saw us," Beckett said. "Since we have a little longer until dinner," she said then, looking at her watch. "Why don't you go cut some more snowflakes with Alexis?"

Shaking her head, Julia finished her cookie before saying, "I want to stay with you Mommy."

"Okay," Beckett said, looking at Castle.

"She can color on the island," he said quickly, seeing her unasked question. "And we can play a little music too while-"

"Actually," Alexis said, coming up to them with a box in her hand. "I was going to make a centerpiece with Julia, with these," she said, lifting the lid and showing the little girl the pinecones inside.

"Good idea," Beckett said. "You can do that at the island."

"What do we make?" Julia asked in confusion as Castle carried her to the kitchen, following her mother and Alexis.

"A centerpiece," Alexis quickly explained. "You put it in the middle of the table for a decoration," she said as she took Julia from her dad and put her on one of the island chairs. "Remember Thanksgiving, when we had that big horn with fruit in it? I made that a long time ago when I was in school and we always use that."

"You don't have one for Christmas," Beckett asked as she watched Alexis empty the box she had.

"I wanted to make something with Julia," the young woman replied with a smile. "Okay, so I have pinecones, some holly, fake," she told the little girl who was leaning over and watching her eagerly. "And snowflakes. And some fake snow."

"What do we do with this?" Julia asked.

"I was thinking making something like this, see, standing the pinecones up," Alexis said, showing her.

Beckett watched the two with a slight smile on her face until Castle squeezed her arm, and she turned her attention to the dinner which she had mainly cooked earlier that morning as a contribution. She kept watching Julia and Alexis when she could though, and smiled as Castle's daughter coaxed some ideas for the centerpiece from her until they had finished it. "Looks pretty good," she said as she walked up to the island.

"It is?" Julia asked hopefully, a wide smile on her face.

"It's fantastic I think," Castle said. "Looks like three white Christmas trees with some nice ornaments. Love the holly around the bottom, like presents."

Smiling widely, Alexis said, "That was Julia's idea, and it was a really great one, I told you."

Giggling shyly and squirming on the chair, Julia said, "Can we put it on the table?"

"Sure," Castle said. "Wait till my mother sees it, she'll love it," he told Julia as he put her down on the ground since Beckett had her hands full.

"Put it on the table?" Julia asked, holding her hand out to him.

"I can help Beckett for now Dad," Alexis said quickly.

Watching Castle and Julia going to the table, Beckett had a small smile on her face, and she directed Alexis to the stove when the young woman asked what she might need her help on. She then turned back to the table, and was surprised to see that Castle was sitting at the table with Julia on his lap.

"He's telling her a story," Alexis said, watching her for a moment. "He did that with me with the cornucopia."

"Or is it Julia?" Beckett said, biting back a laugh as Julia was talking then and Castle was listening seriously.

"Both," Alexis and Beckett said at the same time as they watched Castle and Julia then take turns speaking.

Shaking her head, Beckett quickly turned to the stove, the smile on her face soon dropping off as she thought of Christmas Eve evenings she had celebrated with her parents. But she was a little surprised that the memory wasn't as painful as it had been in years past. She was distracted by that thought when Julia ran up to her, Castle picking her up to hold her as she stirred the soup she had made. Beckett knew it was in large part because of her daughter, but knew that Castle himself had definitely helped as well. She squeezed his arm then, surprised when he leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips. "Why?" she asked with a slight smile as he pulled away.

"Knowing my mother, it's likely there's some mistletoe somewhere," Castle said with a shrug. "Getting an edge on her; and the other side of that, I just felt like it."

"Okay," Beckett said with a slight laugh. "Speaking of which," she said, turning to Alexis. "Everything's set, someone should get Martha and we can eat," she said, taking her daughter from Castle. "Thank you both by the way."

"I'm used to helping out Christmas Eve and Christmas itself," Alexis said. "Come on Julia, I'm going to go change and get Gram."

"She knows what outfit she's going to wear if you're helping her change," Beckett said, wiping her hands.

"I can help you out with that," Castle said. He was surprised when Beckett merely smirked at him, and left the room, leaving him to stare after her as she walked. "That's not helping," he called to her.

"You can watch Castle," Beckett teased him. She smiled widely as she heard his steps, almost running after her and she glanced back at him, a little startled to see the expression on his face. Turning away, she breathed out a little hard, and lengthened her stride, suddenly wanting the privacy of the closed bedroom door.

Following Beckett inside of the room, Castle closed the door behind them, gathering her in his arms before they kissed one another passionately. When they finally pulled away from one another to breathe he said, "You were saying something about watching?" as a smile turned up the corners of her lips.

* * *

Spinning around in one place in front of the Christmas tree, Julia kept turning until she felt a hand stopping her. She looked up, expecting it to be her mother, but instead was surprised to see it was Castle. "Hi," she giggled. "You found me."

"I did, but guess what, I was sneaking in here too, so it was a surprise that I found you," Castle said, making her laugh. "You're not dizzy?"

"No, I do that in ballet, but not in shoes like this," Julia answered, looking down at her black glossy Mary Janes.

"Still, you did pretty well," Castle said, taking her hand.

"Where's my mommy?" Julia asked as he picked her up once he was sitting on the couch.

"Getting dessert," Castle said. "I sort of dropped some dishes, so…"

"You're grounded?" Julia asked in surprise.

"I wouldn't say grounded," Beckett said, entering the room. "I sent him to watch you so there were less people in the kitchen, bumping into each other."

"I said I was sorry about your slice of cake!" Castle said defensively.

"I know, and you're lucky you didn't get any of it on my dress. But seriously, I didn't want Julia to be alone," Beckett said, taking her daughter from Castle. "So, are we ready?" she asked as Martha and Alexis followed her carrying plates as well.

"You-" Martha began to say before she looked over at Julia and saw the little girl was tense. "Ah, I know that look on her face. She gets that way in ballet when her teacher is about to show a new move."

"Now you see why I said that," Beckett said. "But we can wait a little right?" she asked her daughter. "So we can get our coffee ready?"

"Kay," Julia said, watching as Castle fixed up one cup before giving it to her mother. "Can I try Mommy?" she begged.

"I don't think that would be a good idea," Castle said, biting back his laughter as he imagined the little girl hyper all through the night. "You know you need to sleep or else Santa won't come."

"When you're older you can try," Beckett said. "For now drink your hot chocolate," she urged her, picking up the mug on the coffee table.

Julia was distracted by the drink and her dessert for a little while, allowing the others to get their coffee ready, or eat their desserts a little. But she finally grew impatient and got off her mother's lap, bouncing up and down in between her and Castle.

"I think we should start," Alexis said with a smile, watching as her dad tried to calm Julia down but to no avail, the little girl ducking out of his grasp.

"Man I'm so out of practice," Castle said before he grabbed Julia and picked her up, handing her to Beckett.

"What order are we going in?" Beckett asked as Alexis went to the tree. "Easy sweetie," she said to Julia who was squirming on her lap.

"Youngest to oldest," Alexis said. "For tonight. Tomorrow we'll open the gifts one at time together. If that's okay," she said as she handed Julia a gift.

"That's fine, though I think Julia should go on her own," Beckett said. "Before the rest of us just open at once."

"Great idea," Castle said, surprised the little girl wasn't tearing into the present. "Who's it from?" he asked, realizing then that she was trying to read the tag.

"Can you read it?" Julia asked him. "Please?"

"Not a problem," Castle said as she leaned the gift towards him. "It says to Julia from Alexis."

"Thank you," Julia said a little shyly to her.

"Don't thank me yet, you have to open it first and see if you like it," Alexis said with another smile.

"Can I?" Julia said, looking up at her mother.

"Go ahead," Beckett said, kissing her temple. She watched as Julia ripped off the wrapping paper, and laughed at her squeal of pleasure at the first item she revealed.

"It's The Beatles!" Julia cried, picking up the coloring book. "And Beatles too, what does it say here?" she asked, pointing to the box that was underneath.

"The Beatles Scrabble," Beckett said. "Where did you get these?"

"There's a store on 118th that sells music memorabilia like games, and they had that game," Alexis said, looking pleased at Julia's reaction. "And I had to get the coloring book; I know how much she likes _Yellow Submarine_."

"Say thank you to Alexis," Beckett whispered into Julia's ear as the little girl was looking through the coloring book.

At that, Julia gave her mother the game and book, and ran around the coffee table to where Alexis was sitting, and she hugged her tightly. "Thank you so much, lots! I love them lots 'cause they're The Beatles," she said eagerly.

"I thought you would, and you're welcome," Alexis said, pulling back to look at her. "You have to promise me we'll play the game together."

"Can we play it now?" Julia asked, looking at her mother.

"We have presents too," Beckett reminded her daughter gently.

"Oooh, who opens now?" Julia said, jumping up and down. "Can I get the present?"

"Get the one with the dark blue wrapping paper," Castle directed her. "And give it to Alexis."

Beckett watched as her daughter quickly got the gift, and hurried to Alexis, leaning against the side of the armchair as she looked at the tag. "She picked this herself," she told the young woman.

Nodding, Alexis unwrapped the gift, and opened a box that contained a picture in a black frame. "I remember this," she told Julia who was bouncing on the heels of her feet in anxiety. "Your mom took this picture."

"I picked it, and I went to a store with my mommy to get the frame," Julia said.

"It's great," Alexis said. "And it'll be great to have in my dorm room." She hugged Julia after handing over the picture of herself and Julia; wearing matching Paul McCartney tour shirts Castle had bought them in October at Citi Field; to Martha. "That was fun," she said when they pulled apart. "I'm also really glad to have that to remind me of the concert."

"So you like it?" Julia asked with a wide smile.

"I love it, thank you," Alexis said.

"It's a very adorable picture," Martha said, handing the frame over to Beckett. "And the frame is perfect; it goes well with Alexis' room."

Nodding Julia said, "I remembered there was lots of red, and Mommy said black is a good color for red."

"Want to get the next present?" Castle asked, motioning to the little girl. When she nodded eagerly and ran to him, he whispered into her ear.

Watching Julia getting another gift, Beckett smiled when her daughter handed it to her, and then climbed up on the couch next to her. "Thank you sweetie," she said. Reading the tag, she was surprised to see it was also from her daughter, and she wrapped her arm around Julia, holding her against her side as she began to unwrap it.

Biting on her lower lip, the little girl looked up at her mother as she took out the gift saying, "I wanted you to have it faster too."

"Julia," Beckett said, hugging her daughter to her. "I love this, and I know where I'm going to put it," she said as they both looked at the school picture of Julia in her uniform in a silver frame. "On my desk right next to the Coney Island pictures we took together."  
"Really?" Julia breathed, smiling widely.

"Of course! And the great thing is I can change this picture every year, watch you grow up," Beckett said with a smile, leaning down and kissing Julia's cheek before her daughter hugged her tightly. "Did you help her with this?" she asked Castle

"We both did," Alexis said. "But my dad helped out with the frame."

"One that was going to stand out, so everyone at the Precinct can see your daughter," Castle said. "Every time they walk by your desk."

"They will," Beckett said, glancing down at Julia who was blushing. "And they'll know something else too sweetie," she said, pushing the little girl's hair off her cheek.

"What?" Julia asked interestedly.

"That I'm very proud of my little girl," Beckett said. "Thank you for this."

"I'm glad you like it Mommy, I don't want you to forget me," Julia said with a smile as she hugged her mother.

"Believe me, I definitely won't," Beckett said, kissing her forehead. She then looked at Castle and said, "I believe it's your turn."

"Here," Alexis said, having gotten her dad's present. "Merry Christmas," she told him before she sat back down on the armchair.

"From Julia again?" Castle asked the little girl, smiling as she giggled and squirmed slightly. Unwrapping the gift, he smiled wider as he took out a book of Edgar Allen Poe's poems and short stories. "You remembered _The Raven_ ," he told Julia, though he glanced quickly at Beckett.

"She did, and wanted to make sure you had a good copy of the poem since you read it to her off the net," Beckett said.

"She liked it too," Castle reminded her. "And she didn't have nightmares."

"It's not scary Mommy," Julia said. "Can you read me other stories in the book?"

"Well," Castle started to say, blanching slightly as Beckett looked at him. "Why don't you let me read it, and then I'll let you know if it's okay."

"Kay," Julia said, moving to slide off the couch. When her mother tried to stop her she said, "I want to get Martha's gift next Mommy."

"Go ahead," Beckett said with a smile. She watched Julia hurry to the tree, and then felt Castle leaning into her before he whispered a thank you. Shaking her head, she indicated her daughter and smiled when he looked confused. "Your mom's opening her present," she told him then.

Martha's gift; from Alexis; turned out to be a new pair of shoes, and she thanked her granddaughter before hugging and kissing Julia on both cheeks. "A wonderful start to my Christmas I believe," she said, admiring the pair of blue heels.

"But I didn't give it to you, Alexis did," Julia said, confused at Martha's thanking her.

"So she did, but I'm thanking you for bringing them to me," Martha said, smiling as Julia giggled out a you're welcome.

"Sweetie," Beckett said to her daughter. "Why don't we play your new game, and then you need to head to bed okay?"

Julia nodded eagerly, and then ran around to Castle who was starting to take the plastic wrap off the box.

Martha declined to play once Castle had the board and tiles set on the table, but she watched as the others played, Julia sitting on Castle's lap and holding their rack of letter tiles.

"I have a feeling Julia's going to win," Alexis said, sitting on her knees on the other side of the coffee table. "Some of these cards I don't know what they mean."

"I'll help you," Beckett offered. "Since those two know a lot."

"Do you know much about the band?" Alexis said. "I know you know the songs but-" she started to say before she cut herself off; afraid she'd say something about Julia being adopted by accident.

"I'm pretty knowledgeable about them," Beckett said, glancing at her daughter. "Now anyways," she continued quietly since Julia and Castle were picking out their tiles. "Are you two set?" she asked.

"Sure, why not?" Castle said, frowning at the letters on the rack Julia was holding.

Whispering to Castle, Julia said, "Can we say a song?"

"I need to think about it," he replied. "And we can put just a word that's in the song. So you should be able to get some extra points for that Alexis. As much as she listens to their music."

"Me?" Julia asked.

"No, I'm talking about my mother," Castle said sarcastically, making Julia giggle.

"Gram does listen a lot with her," Alexis said. "I don't know how many times I've come home to hear them singing to _Hey Jude_."

"Well I had to practice for the concert, I didn't want to let Paul down singing the end of the song of course," Martha said. "And I think we did a pretty good job kiddo," she said to Julia who nodded eagerly.

"Alright," Beckett said, laughing slightly. "Castle, Julia, you two are first."

Playing the game with Julia by whispering words he thought of to her, Castle helped the little girl spell out words as they laid down the tiles on the board. When they had run out of letter tiles he waited for Beckett to add up the score by bouncing Julia on his knees a little.

"Looks like you won," Beckett said with a smile to Julia.

"I did?" the little girl asked in amazement.

"You did," Castle said, taking the paper that Alexis had been keeping their score on. "But it was a close game. Your mom and Alexis were only a point and three points behind us."

"I'm glad you bought the game," Beckett said to the young woman. "It's a great way for her to get interested in spelling, with the Beatles theme it makes it more appealing for her."

"Of course, and you're welcome," Alexis said. "It was fun though; I look forward to playing it again with you Julia."

"I'm impressed," Beckett said, taking off the tiles with Castle. "At your use of Lizzy."

"You've never heard of _Dizzy Miss Lizzy_?" Castle asked.

"Of course," Beckett said. "But that's not a song that comes up first thing when I'm thinking of Beatles songs."

"Did for me," Castle said before he heard Julia yawn. "And I believe that is your cue to go to bed."

"But Mommy," Julia said quickly. "The-"

"I know," Beckett interrupted. "First let's get you ready okay? We'll come back down so you can say goodnight." She stood up as Castle and Alexis finished putting away the game, and took Julia off the couch, carrying her upstairs.

"Richard," Martha said as soon as she was sure Beckett and Julia were out of hearing range. When he looked up at her she asked, "When are you going to finally make this official."

"Official? Mother…" Castle started to say as he picked up the game. "I'm going to take this upstairs, so it won't get lost in tomorrow's gifts." He quickly left before she could respond to that, and hurried up the stairs to Julia's room. "Okay to come in?" he asked, sliding his hand through the slit of the open door. "Ah! Something's attacking me!" he said in an exaggerated, panicked tone as Julia grabbed his hand and pulled it gently.

"I'm dressed now," Julia said, bouncing out into his arms.

"Careful, I brought your game up so it wouldn't get lost," Castle said as Beckett took it from him. When she came back to the doorway after putting it on the dresser he pulled her to him and kissed her quickly.

"Okay?" Beckett asked, wondering why he looked a little troubled.

"Fine, I believe you need to get some cookies and milk ready for Santa though," Castle said, directing the rest to Julia, who nodded before he and Beckett took her hands and went back down the stairs.

"Are you sure he will like these Mommy?" Julia was asking as they went into the kitchen and Castle got a couple of the sugar cookies she and her mother had made the day before onto a small plate.

"I was serious when I said I think he will," Castle told her. "They-" he began before Beckett took the plate from him. "Hey, I was going to do my best not to drop those."

"Finish up whatever you were going to say Castle," Beckett replied with a smile as they walked to the family room.

"He'll like the cookies," Castle said since Julia was walking with him. "They came out perfectly and look great."

"Mommy says she made them every year with Grandmama," Julia said, smiling up at him. "And they decorated them like we did too."

"Snowflakes and Christmas trees?" Castle asked Beckett who was ahead of them, wondering if the reminder was another painful one.

"Pretty much," she replied, smiling back at him as she was sure he worrying about her. "It was always pretty fun. And it was fun this year too; you're definitely an artist sweetie."

"With cookies?" Julia giggled heavily. When her mother nodded she let go of Castle's hand and ran up to walk into the room with her.

"All ready for Santa?" Alexis asked, looking up from the book her dad had gotten.

"Yeah, see my cookies? Castle says he'll like them," Julia said eagerly, taking the plate from her mother.

"Of course he will," Martha said firmly. "You worked for a long time on those I heard."

Nodding Julia said, "My mommy let me help her, and she let Castle help us too, he made a cookie for me that had just blue candy orn'ments on them."

"That was nice," Alexis said. "You better get to bed though."

"When do you go?" Julia asked.

"Pretty soon," Alexis assured her.

Julia nodded again, and then turned to the fireplace, putting down the plate while her mother set a small glass of milk next to it. She then went to Martha and hugged her saying, "Good night and Merry Christmas Eve."

"Thank you kiddo," Martha said with a smile as she hugged her back. "Have a wonderful night's sleep and we'll see what gifts you've gotten from Santa and your mother tomorrow."

"Kay," Julia said, smiling widely at her. She then hurried over to Alexis and jumped up into her arms saying, "Can I wake you up after Santa comes?"

"Not too early sweetie," Beckett said quickly.

"That would be great, better than my alarm clock," Alexis said, smiling at Beckett briefly. "So I'll see you tomorrow morning, but for now, night."

"Night Alexis," Julia said before the young woman set her down. She ran to Castle and jumped up in front of him asking, "Can I go up with you?"

"Hold on," Castle said before he sat down on the couch and Beckett helped Julia up onto it. He felt her get on his back, and he stood up once she was holding onto his neck.

"Night!" Julia said, waving to Martha and Alexis as Castle left the room. She held onto him tightly until they were in her room, and he sat down on the bed. She stood on the mattress but didn't let him go, hugging him tightly.

"Wait," Castle said with a slight laugh. He grabbed her and put her on his lap and said, "Get some sleep Julia; I have a feeling you'll be waking up early."

"I'm too excited," Julia said, kissing his cheek after. "But I will try."

"Good," Castle said before he stood up, kissing her on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow too."

"Kay," Julia said before she slid under the covers as her mother began to tuck her in. A troubled look appeared on her face and she said, "Mommy?" When Beckett gave a sound to let her know she'd heard, she asked, "Have I been good this year?"

"Definitely," Beckett said reassuringly. "I have a pretty good feeling you won't get any coal, so you don't need to worry about that."

"But I don't put on my slippers when you say, and I don't like to go to bed sometimes," Julia said, hugging her Stitch doll to her.

"That's not really being bad," Beckett said simply. "You're just having fun, and you do eventually get your slippers and on and in the end you do get to sleep. I know Santa will understand that. For now though, time to sleep okay?"

"I love you Mommy," Julia said, reaching up from under then covers.

"Hmm, sweet dreams Julia, I love you too," Beckett said as she hugged her. They shared a kiss goodnight, and she stayed sitting on the edge of the bed, stroking her daughter's forehead until Julia had fallen asleep. She carefully stood, and left the room with Castle, closing the lights and the door behind them. She turned to him then, and was about to speak when he suddenly grabbed her, and kissed her hard. A little startled, she soon relaxed into the kiss, and responded before they needed to breathe. "What's going on Castle," she whispered, pulling him away from the door so they wouldn't wake up Julia.

"Nothing," Castle said simply. When she narrowed her eyes at him he quickly said, "It was a touching moment, watching you two in there."

Sighing, Becket nodded and said, "Fine, but don't think I'm going to forget you acting strange since earlier tonight."

Nodding, Castle led her down the stairs and asked, "Should we start?"

"We kind of need to, but can you get everything out and I'll make some coffee," Beckett said, stopping him from walking to the kitchen.

"Sure," Castle said, watching her walking down to the room. He shook his head, and went to the garage, heading for the car and going to the trunk which still had one more thing inside.

When she had finished with the coffee, Beckett walked into the family room to find Castle already working on various pieces of the bike that she had bought for Julia. "Wow, already one piece set?" she asked, sitting on the couch to his side as he was sitting on the floor.

"I would have had more, but these have gotten a lot harder to put together than when Alexis was four," Castle said, reading the instructions.

"It's a nice bike though," Alexis said. "Does she know how to ride?"

"She does," Beckett said. "But she's only had a tricycle and I want to get her even with other kids her age."

"She'll love the blue," Martha said, pouring herself some coffee. "And the flowers too, we saw a bike like this at the deli around the corner from us one day when I was taking her for dinner."

"I know, it was there one time Alexis took her, and apparently Julia wanted it so badly that she took a picture and sent it to me," Beckett said, taking the instructions from Castle. "Thank you for that," she directed to the young woman.

"You're welcome, it's a beautiful bike too," Alexis said.

"It will be once we have it set," Castle said, trying to get the handlebars set. "If I can figure this out."

"It says to get the body piece and then attach them vertically, you're laying it down Castle," Beckett said, looking at the diagram and then him.

"That might explain it," Castle said absently.

"While you two are figuring that out, I will say goodnight and hope you'll go to bed at a reasonable time," Martha said.

"Goodnight Martha, thank you for bringing everything with you," Beckett said, looking up.

"Thank Alexis, but it was no problem and we're eager to see Julia's reactions tomorrow morning," Martha replied.

"Do you want us to wake you up when Julia gets us up Mother?" Castle asked, tightening the handle bars onto the body of the bike.

"Yes, but you'd better have some very strong coffee waiting once we come down to the tree," Martha said. She then said goodnight to Alexis, and called the same to Castle and Beckett again before leaving the room.

"Julia fell asleep pretty quickly tonight," Alexis commented as her dad was working in silence for a few minutes.

"I think she exhausted herself in her excitement about the presents," Beckett said. "I am sorry we're not opening everything tonight," she said to Castle, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"No, that's okay," Castle said. "And opening one gift each tonight we kind of had a compromise," he told her setting the tires in place. "Okay, I think… wait," he said a little angrily. "I think I have the handlebars…"

"Backwards," Beckett finished for him. "Just turn them around."

Castle quickly did so before he looked at the training wheels Beckett had bought to attach to the bike and said, "This goes where exactly," as he looked at the diagram that had come with the wheels.

"Right here on this screw," Beckett said, looking over his shoulder.

"Wouldn't, no, you're right," Castle said, quickly going to the packaging. "I've got it, couldn't find the wrench for this." He quickly set up the training wheels and then set the bike upright, nodding as they looked at it.

"Julia is going to love it," Alexis said with a smile.

"You did a great job," Beckett said to Castle.

"Thank you," he said with a nod to her as he stood up. "Helps me butch up my image right?"

Shaking her head, Beckett said, "Let's get it covered and next to the tree. Then we need to eat those cookies before we forget."

Alexis watched as her dad and Beckett quickly covered the bike with a sheet, and set it to the side. "I can't wait to see her reaction," she commented as Castle left to find a bow to put on it.

"Me too, all her gifts actually," Beckett said, smiling slightly. She shook herself from her thoughts which were, again, of Julia's past Christmases.

"Okay, here is the bow," Castle said, holding up a large blue gift bow.

"What did you give Alexis that you needed that size bow?" Beckett asked in surprise as he set it on the sheet.

"My jewelry dresser," Alexis said with a smile. "Of course, it's not that big, so it looks oversized like it does on the bike right now."

"And blue?" Beckett asked.

"He had about three of them, red, green and blue right?" Alexis asked her dad.

"Pretty much," Castle said. "I was thinking of using the green here too, but thought you might think I was going over the top with it. Plus, she'll be more interested in what's under the bow."

"Speaking of gifts, I'm going to head to bed," Alexis said, standing up. "Are you sure you don't need my help with setting them out?" she asked Castle as they hugged.

"We'll be fine," he assured her. "Anyways, I'm sure the drive out was pretty tiring, the traffic."

"Slightly," Alexis said. "Make sure he doesn't shake his gifts from us," she then said to Beckett.

"Believe me, I'll watch out for that," she assured the young woman. "Good night Alexis, see you in the morning." When she and Castle were alone and he had moved the coffee table back to its original spot, she asked, "Gifts?"

"Right, good idea bringing everything down here," Castle said as he followed her to his office.

"We don't need to keep everyone in the house awake going up and down the stairs," Beckett said, grabbing one bag.

"Could go barefoot," Castle said. When Beckett didn't say anything he said, "Or maybe not. So any special way you want to set these up?"

"Do you have any kind of method?" Beckett asked him as they walked back to the tree.  
"Just make it look neat," Castle said with a shrug. "And move all my presents to the front after my mother and Alexis put their gifts underneath."

"That doesn't surprise me," Beckett said, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. "Let's just put the gifts down in the order we take them out of the bags and boxes."

"I will follow your lead," Castle said watching as she knelt down. He was going to speak when her dress rode up slightly on her legs, but then fell silent and knelt next to her before she realized what he'd seen.

"I saw that," Beckett said, setting some gifts under the tree, in front of the train tracks.

"So did I," Castle said. He laughed when Beckett pushed at him and said, "Would you care to share and tell me about the other gifts you got Julia now?"

"You'll find out tomorrow," Beckett said simply before she concentrated on emptying the box that was next to her. She and Castle worked in silence after that, concentrating on getting all the presents set. When they had finished they stepped back and she watched as he took a picture with his phone. "That is a lot of gifts," she said when he had finished.

"I know, well, five people it makes sense," Castle said. "I probably couldn't share this picture could I?"

"Not really, unless people who see it think all those presents are for the three of you," Beckett said with a slight smile. "I'm heading up to bed."

"Good idea," Castle said before he went to unplug the lights. He saw a slightly thoughtful look on his girlfriend's face as they headed upstairs together, but waited until they were inside their room with the door closed to ask, "Anything wrong?"

"No, just feeling slightly surreal," Beckett said. "I'm so used to gifts being for only one or two people, and not for my child." She smiled as she then said, "Believe me, I'm ready for tomorrow. I just can't believe I've gotten to this point."

"I know what you mean," Castle said. "But you're not going to enjoy the waking up early part."

"It's retribution for when I did that to my parents," Beckett said with a slight laugh. She went to Castle then, and kissed him on the lips lightly before they got ready for bed. With one more lingering kiss as a goodnight, she pressed against his side and closed her eyes, still feeling that eagerness to see Julia's face as she opened her gifts their very first Christmas together; and glad as well they were sharing it with Alexis, Martha and Castle.


	5. All Around The Tree

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I set Castle's birthday for my story line to March 31st, as it fit better for what I have planned here and later, just wanted to make that known in case of any questions.
> 
> The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Christmas Eve by Ringo Starr and Mark Hudson, from Ringo's album I Wanna Be Santa Claus.

" _Castle_ ," the whisper pulled Beckett out of her sleep. She was going to turn around since she knew it was her daughter, but she stayed still as he moved against her back.

"Morning Julia," Castle said, slightly sleepily as he'd been a little surprised when she'd shaken his shoulder. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," Julia said happily. "Santa came."

"He did?" Castle asked, still whispering as he thought Beckett was sleeping. "That's great, a lot of gifts?"

Julia nodded and then asked, "Do we wake my mommy up?"

"No need," Beckett said, turning over. "Morning sweetie, come here," she said, holding her arms out to her daughter. When Julia had climbed over Castle as they sat up, she hugged her tightly to her. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas Mommy," Julia said happily, kissing her cheek. "Santa came, and he brought lots of presents. Alexis said some are for you, and Castle too."

"That's good to hear," Beckett said with a smile at her daughter's eagerness. "And you didn't get up too early," she said, glancing at the clock on Castle's nightstand and seeing it was eight thirty already.

"Alexis said to look at all the presents, and she took a picture of me with her phone in front of the tree," Julia said.

"That was nice of her," Beckett said. "And also nice of her to try and straighten out your hair a little."

"Ready to head down?" Castle said, getting off the bed then.

"I think so," Beckett said, laughter in her voice as Julia was bouncing up and down in excitement. She kissed her daughter on the cheek and helped her down saying, "Have to thank Alexis for getting your slippers and robe on for you."

"I put on my robe myself," Julia said. "But Alexis tied it for me."

"I hope you thanked her for that," Beckett said as she slipped her arms into her robe which Castle was holding for her. She turned to him and pulled on his shirt so he bent his head down to her so they could kiss briefly. "Merry Christmas," she told him.

"Merry Christmas," Castle said with a smile before he picked up Julia who had been tugging at his robe. "So I guess I'm taking her?" he asked as he followed Beckett out of the room.

"I guess so," Beckett said, smiling as she led the way down to the family room. "Merry Christmas," she said to Alexis and Martha who were in the room already.

"Merry Christmas," Martha said, hugging Julia once Castle set her down and she'd run to her. "I see you got a number of gifts this year, you must have been very good."

"I tried to," Julia said. "But everyone got presents."

"Julia," Beckett said with a smile as she sat on the couch. When her daughter had run to her she pulled her onto her lap and said, "Are you hungry?"

"No, but I'm thirsty," Julia said seriously.

"I'll get her some milk while I'm getting the coffee ready," Castle said. "Want to help me?" he asked Julia.

Nodding eagerly, Julia held her arms out to him and wrapped them around his neck once he was holding her. She whispered into his ear, and when he nodded she giggled before waving at her mother.

"So she didn't get up too early I hope," Beckett said to Alexis once the two had left the room.

"No," the young woman said. "I was pretty surprised to look at my clock and see it was only a little after eight. I remember getting up a lot earlier when I was her age."

"So do I, six o'clock usually, though that year you were eight you woke us up at five thirty," Martha said. She then said to Beckett, "That was the year her father gave her a doll house."

"Really?" Beckett asked.

"It was great, an old fashioned one that I never really played with, just had in my room for decoration, it was beautiful," Alexis said. "And since I had been asking for it for a while, I was really excited."

"Which explains five thirty," Beckett said with a smile.

"It does," Alexis laughed. She then grew a little serious and said, "Were there any gifts you got that you really wanted like… that one?" motioning vaguely to the bike in case Julia came in. "You don't need to answer if you don't-" she then started to say quickly; in case it was too painful for her to talk about.

"It's alright," Beckett said. "I don't know if I ever had anything that I wanted that badly on Christmas. But I remember always asking for a pony until I was about fifteen years old. I gave up since we lived in an apartment, and I knew there was no way we could keep it with us."

"I told you I'd buy you one," Castle said as he walked in then with a tray, Julia a little ahead of him. "Well, a horse, but still, I said I would."

Beckett didn't say anything to that, just took Julia's glass of milk he held out to her before her daughter took her hand. "What are you doing sweetie?" she asked as Julia tugged on it.

"Come and sit here," Julia said excitedly until her mother got up and followed her to Alexis who was sitting on the floor in front of the tree. "That way you can see the presents and the tree," she said happily.

"It's a good spot," Beckett said as Castle sat next to her with two cups in his hands. "I was wondering if I was going to get any," she said with a slight smile as he handed her one. She noticed that Julia was looking at her in anticipation, and she looked down into the cup, seeing three stars in the foam. "It's beautiful," she said, looking up at him. "Thank you."

"Thank your daughter for the idea," Castle said. "I let her decide today; since it's Christmas."

"But Castle made it," Julia insisted, sitting up on her knees and looking down at the design.

"Thank you both," Beckett said firmly before she took a sip. "Okay, are you ready sweetie?"

"Yes, please," Julia said, trying not to bounce on her knees but still moving slightly.

"Okay," Beckett said, setting aside the cup and grabbing a present. "For you," she told her daughter as she handed it to her.

"Does this say mommy?" Julia asked, looking at the tag. "'Cause that's an m."

"It does, open it," Beckett urged her.

Unwrapping the gift eagerly, Julia squealed when she took out a scarf and she immediately wrapped the tartan plaid around her neck, saying, "You knew what I wanted Mommy."

"She knows that picture of Paul you like," Alexis said, smiling at the little girl's reaction.

"Are we still going all at once?" Castle asked, going for one of the gifts he'd bought for his daughter. "Or one at a time."

"I think it would be better to go all at once," Martha said. "For the adults. Otherwise we'll be eating Christmas dinner here, still getting everything open."

"Okay, then if you'll allow me…" Castle began before he got up and grabbed two other gifts. He gave one to his mother and one to Alexis before he turned to sit back down with Beckett and Julia when he nearly ran into his girlfriend who held out a gift to him.

"Can't really give a gift to yourself," Beckett said as they exchanged the presents they were holding.

"Well I could," Castle said as he sat with her on the floor again. "But it's not as much fun," he said, looking at the tag and seeing that it was from her. He glanced at her, but saw that she was unwrapping her gift as Julia looked on, and he waited, wanting to see her reaction.

Beckett took off the cover of the box under the gift wrap, and saw nestled in the tissue paper inside was a book. She quickly took it out when she saw on the cover was a picture of her and Julia, and opened it. "Castle…" she began, looking up at him as she realized he'd taken almost all the pictures she had of her and Julia during their two week visit to the Hamptons that summer and had made a book with them. She leaned over as she cupped his cheek and kissed him gently on the lips. "Thank you, this is… amazing," she said, looking down at the page she had opened it too. She smiled as Julia exclaimed at the picture that she recalled Castle had taken of them after they'd gone to the fair; her daughter's face still painted with the blue butterfly on her cheek.

"I thought when we were talking about that trip back when it started to get cold, that this would be a pretty nice gift for you," Castle said, pleased with her reaction. "And a great way to remember the trip."

"It is," Beckett agreed. "Open yours," she urged him.

"Sure," Castle said, glancing over at his daughter and mother then.

"Thank you for the purse Richard, it's amazing," Martha said, holding it up. "So much better than in the store; now I know it's mine."

"You're welcome," Castle said as he unwrapped the gift.

"Thank you for my bag Dad, this'll be great to use in Berkley," Alexis said.

"Do you have to go?" Julia asked.

"I do, but I'll see you when I come back," Alexis pointed out.

"Oh, but when?" Julia asked. She turned to her mother and asked, "How many more days Mommy?"

"Why don't we get through Christmas first, and then we'll see long until June?" Beckett asked before she pulled her onto her lap and let her look at the book. "So…" she began, looking at Castle.

"Yeah, this is pretty amazing," Castle said, holding up a copy of _Casino Royale_.

"Look inside," Beckett said.

Nodding, since he thought she had written a note to him on the title page, Castle was a little startled at the signature on it, and he abruptly checked the copyright. "A first edition, signed copy?" he said in amazement, looking up at her. "How did you get this?"

"That I will keep my secret," Beckett said with a slight smile. "But it was worth it, to see that expression on your face."

"I agree, I don't think I've ever seen my son as flabbergasted as he was just now," Martha said. "But that is a wonderful gift for him."

"Thank you," Castle said meaningfully as he kissed Beckett's cheek.

"You're welcome, Julia's turn again," Beckett said with a smile as she watched him flip open the pages and run his fingertips over the text.

It took some time to go through the presents underneath the tree, as Julia was given a lot of attention when she opened her gifts; mostly toys and clothes at first; and she tended to spend a long time thanking whoever gave the gift to her; unless the tag on it said it was from Santa. When they were about half way through the gifts, Beckett whispered to Castle and he nodded when it was her daughter's turn to open another present.

"Something secret for this one?" Alexis asked as her dad stood up and went around to the back of the tree.

"Slightly," Beckett said with a smile as Castle came back around carrying two gifts, in very familiar shapes. She glanced at Julia, to see if she recognized what they were, but the little girl was looking on a little questioningly.

"Do I open one?" Julia asked as Castle set them down in front of her.

"Not this time, we're letting you open two at the same time," Castle said, sitting with Beckett.

"And sweetie, these two are from both me and Castle," Beckett said.

"Oh, thank you," Julia said, smiling up at them. When they urged her to open the smaller of the two gifts she hurriedly did, and revealed a black case.

"Let me get that for you," Castle said, quickly opening the clasps and pulling up the lid.

"What is it?" Alexis asked as Julia gasped.

"Is it for me?" the little girl squealed to her mother as Castle pulled out a blue mandolin.

"It is," Beckett said, smiling widely at her daughter's reaction. "I don't know anyone else here who was begging me for a mandolin for a long time."

"I did," Castle said jokingly. He laughed slightly when Beckett pushed at him and he handed the instrument to her daughter.

"We can try getting lessons for you," Beckett said as Julia gently strummed at the strings. "But if it's a little hard at first, you can wait a few years or so until your fingers are long enough to make the chords."

"Will you play Mommy?" Julia asked, holding the mandolin out to her.

"I can give it a shot," Beckett said, taking it. "I've never played one before. And this is eight strings too; I'm more used to six." She tried making an A minor chord, but it sounded out of tune and she winced and quickly stopped. "I'll have to try and get one myself."

"Do I open this now?" Julia asked, looking down at the other gift.

"Want some help?" Castle asked. When she nodded he helped her, tearing off the wrapping paper before he opened the clasps on the case.

"I get to learn to play like you Mommy!" Julia said excitedly when she saw the acoustic guitar inside the case. "Play something Mommy!"

"Wait," Beckett said, grabbing her daughter before she took the guitar out of its case. "Let's see if you can make a few chords and then I'll play something very quickly." She then looked at the others and said, "You can go ahead and open gifts, I'll catch up after I'm finished with her."

"That's fine," Alexis said quickly. "I'd like to see how Julia does."

"Me as well, and you know how to play the guitar Kate?" Martha asked.

"I'm not a rock star, or as good as Paul is on acoustic," Beckett said. "But I'm passably good."

"Mommy's really good," Julia said firmly. She giggled when her mother tickled her neck and then paid attention as Beckett helped her set her fingers into a G chord before her mother held her hand as she made it strum the guitar. "That's Yesterday," she said eagerly.

"You have a good ear sweetie, that is," Beckett said. "Here are the next chords for that," she said, moving her daughter from the G to the F sharp major and helping her strum again. "I think you'll learn this pretty quickly," she said with a smile as she let go of Julia's hand and the little girl could somewhat keep up the pace she had set.

"You play now Mommy," Julia said, ducking under the guitar and sitting on her knees as she watched Beckett expectantly.

Smiling as she leaned over and shared a kiss with Julia, Beckett then sat back and formed the A major 7 chord, and began to play. She played a few bars before her daughter quickly responded.

" _Mamunia_!" Julia cried eagerly.

"Good guess," Beckett said.

"You know how to play that song?" Alexis asked in slight amazement. "That seems like it'd be hard to play."

"I only know the opening, I'm trying to learn it," Beckett said. "Since that's one of her favorite songs."

"So you bought her the guitar and mandolin, both of you?" Martha asked.

"We did," Beckett said easily as she took the gift Castle handed Julia, who then handed it to her. "Since we both came up with the idea for the guitar at pretty much the same time, and then decided to add in the mandolin."

"Since Julia was always asking her for one," Castle then said. "I had a catalogue of guitars, luckily that was in there. Thought blue would be the perfect choice for you Julia."

"It's so pretty," Julia said happily as the others began to unwrap their next gifts. She then watched her mother eagerly, as the gift she was opening was one she'd gotten for her.

Laughing slightly as she pulled out a scarf that was a tartan plaid as Julia's was; though different colors; Beckett hugged her daughter to her and kissed her cheek. "Thank you so much sweetie," she said as she put the fabric around her neck.

"It's perfect Mommy," Julia said earnestly. "And Castle helped me get it."

"I went to the same place you got her scarf," he quickly said.

"Which is why you kept asking me about the store," Beckett said, smiling. "I thought you were going to buy her another scarf. Or skirt. Thank you for helping her though."

"And thank you for these," Castle said, holding up the cufflinks he'd opened from her; silver with a light blue stone in the center.

"Those I let Julia choose," Beckett told him as her daughter took the end of her scarf and hid her face behind it.

"She made an excellent choice," Castle said reassuringly, smiling as Julia peeked at him. "I'll be happy to wear them."

"I picked blue 'cause I like the color," Julia then said, biting at her lower lip. She let out a surprised cry when he grabbed her, hugging her tightly. Giggling as she hugged him back she said, "But they're from my mommy, she had to say they were good."

"I know," Castle said. He leaned over to Beckett then and shared a kiss with her before he said to Alexis, "It's the right game?"

"It is, I didn't realize there was equestrian stuff on here," Alexis said. When Julia looked at her she said, "I'll show you when we're done okay?"

"Kay," Julia said. "Who gets a present next?" she asked excitedly. "You, Mommy?"

"Your turn next," Castle said. "And this is another one your mom and I chipped in together to get you, though I have something extra for it," he directed the end to Beckett.

Julia hurriedly opened the gift and was surprised when she uncovered a bright blue plastic record player. "It's pretty," she said. "But I don't have things to play here."

"There's two more gifts sweetie," Beckett said, urging her to open the rest of the gift.

Quickly taking off the wrapping paper, Julia gasped when she saw four records and squealed saying, "Thank you Mommy, Castle!" hugging them both at the same time.

"What did you get Julia?" Martha asked.

"Look," Julia said, jumping up and hurrying over to her with the records. "It's Paul with Wings and he sings _Band On the Run_ , and this one is George's after his first album and this one is Ringo's but it's his number three album."

"And this last one?" Alexis asked, having walked over to see for herself.

"It's from John, _Walls and Bridges_ ," Julia said eagerly. "My favorite songs are on it."

"You have one more to open then," Castle said to the little girl as he and Beckett were watching them.

Hurrying back over to her mother, Julia put down the records and opened the last gift, saying, "It's Wings!"

"You were able to find it," Beckett said to Castle.

"I was, and this too," he told her, holding up a record.

"This is the one I wanted Castle, thank you," Julia said as she looked at the box that held the deluxe edition of _Wings Over America_ , and the vinyl record of the same album. "Is this the same music," she said, pointing to the record. When he nodded she squealed and hugged it to her. "Thank you!"

The others laughed at that, and then went on to open their next gifts, moving through them until they came to only a few left; other than the bigger presents on each side of the tree.

"Maybe we should have counted them out," Beckett said, looking at the remaining presents and seeing that one was for her and guessing the last two were for her daughter. "So we'd finish relatively evenly."

"I don't think you need to worry," Castle said, nodding to his mother and daughter who were looking at a dress that he'd bought for Alexis.

"I guess not," Beckett said, smiling. "Okay, your turn Julia."

"This one," Castle quickly said, grabbing the box before she could.

"Why do I have so many?" Julia asked.

"Well, this is our first Christmas with Castle, Alexis and Martha," Beckett said, glancing at him quickly before turning her attention back to her daughter. "So you have gifts from them and Santa, and me too."

"Oh," Julia said. "Is that okay?" she asked, tearing off the wrapping paper absently.

"I would say it's pretty lucky," Martha said.

Smiling, Julia looked down at her gift which she had revealed by then, and gasped when she immediately recognized it as a tablet. "For me?" she asked eagerly.

"It is," Beckett said. "Castle and I got this one for you again, but turn it around."

"I got you the cover," Castle said. "But I suggested the tablet, since you're always using mine and your mom's. I thought you'd like one of your own."

"It's Sgt. Pepper," Julia giggled, seeing the cover on the back was the album cover. "Thank you," she said happily. "Does it work?"

"After we finish with the gifts," Castle said. "I'll help you set it up. Now it's your mom's turn."

"How did I end up getting almost as much as she did?" Beckett asked he handed her a thin, wrapped box.

"One of the mysteries of the universe," Castle said with a shrug, smiling as she gave him a look. He watched her then as she unwrapped the present, looking for her reaction.

Opening the lid of the box, Beckett's breath stilled for a brief second before she looked up at him saying, "You… thank you," almost breathing the words.

"What is it?" Alexis asked after sharing a look with Martha.

Beckett didn't say anything, merely pulled out a thin silver chain before a teardrop pendant lifted out of the box. "This is… beautiful," she then said, shaking her head in amazement. "It's an aquamarine isn't it?"

"It is," Castle said with a nod. "I thought it would be appropriate since-"

"It's Julia's birthstone," Beckett said with a smile, looking at the light blue jewel as it twisted slightly on its chain. "Thank you so much," she said, handing it to him.

"Dad, isn't that your birthstone too?" Alexis asked as Castle put the necklace around Beckett's neck.

"Yeah it is," Castle said, wincing slightly as he wondered at what Beckett's reaction would be to that.

"It's a coincidence," Beckett said, letting her hair back down. "But you have a very nice birthstone as well." She then cupped his face with her hands, and kissed him gently, though she lingered, wanting to convey her appreciation for the necklace.

Pressing his forehead against Beckett's for a moment, Castle pulled away and said, "I'm relieved."

"You didn't think I'd take it?" Beckett asked. "What, did you put this under another woman's Christmas tree last night?"

"No," Castle laughed at the memory of their nearly disastrous first Valentine's Day. "It's not going to be a problem at work is it?"

"Actually no," Beckett said, reaching down and touching the pendant. "It's not something that I wouldn't buy myself. And with it being Julia's birthstone…"

"Great," Castle said. "Okay, so, should we wrap things up here?"

"I think so," Beckett said. She went to get the last gift underneath and saw that it had her name with Julia's on the tag. "For us both?"

"Oh, is… now I remember that last gift," Castle said exaggeratedly. "I forgot about that one, but yes, for you two. I got it with some help from my mother and Alexis."

"Okay, sweetie, help me open this," Beckett said as she sat back down next to Castle. She took Julia on her lap, and together they tore off the paper, revealing a light blue box. She opened the lid, and pulled out a figurine of a white horse with a saddle blanket and decorative reins. "It's a Lladro isn't it?" she asked Castle.

Nodding he asked, "You've heard of them?"

"My father gave one to my mom for their wedding," Beckett said with a slight smile. "Of a couple on a horse, I'm not sure where that's ended up actually, but I remember it as a child."

"Why that statue?" Castle asked.

"Because he could afford it at the time and he took the chance to buy it," Beckett said. "I almost forgot about it until I saw this."

"Is this for us Mommy?" Julia asked, having been running her fingers down the mane of the horse.

"It is," Beckett answered. "And it's perfect for the two of us isn't it?"

"Yeah, I like it a lot," Julia said happily. "Thank you Castle."

"You're welcome," Castle said with a nod as Beckett reach out to squeeze his hand.

"Okay, now your last two presents Julia," Beckett said. "Why don't you open that one first," she said, looking at Castle, who shrugged in response to her unasked question.

"That is from me," Martha said, standing up. "Come here Julia," she said, motioning to her. She led the little girl to the large box on the other side of the tree, and watched as she tore off the wrapping paper, revealing a chest.

"Allow me," Castle said, since he, Beckett and Alexis had joined them to see what the gift was. He opened the latch and raised the lid, getting out of the way for Julia to be able to see what was inside first.

"Oooh, dresses!" Julia said eagerly, picking one up.

"Actually, costumes," Martha said, pulling out a newsboy cap and putting it on Julia's head to her giggle. "They were giving away costumes at a theater I once performed in, and I helped myself to a few of the costumes for girls, fixing them up for you."

"They're so pretty," Julia said in awe. "Oh Mommy, can I put one on?"

"Later," Beckett said. "First you-"

"Thank you!" Julia said, hugging Martha tightly then. "It's a best present."

"A best?" Alexis said laughingly as her grandmother hugged Julia back.

"I got lots of good presents today," Julia said simply.

"Okay, why don't you open your last one then, see if this one is good too," Beckett suggested.

Julia ran over to the gift, and started to tug on the sheet before Castle hurried over to help, taking off the bow and placing it on Julia's head before he looked at Beckett.

"Go ahead," she urged him, watching.

Looking on as Castle got the sheet off, Julia gasped and jumped up and down happily saying, "A bike! Mommy, is it mine? Can I ride it?"

"Not right now," Beckett said, picking her up. "But you can sit on it and try it out."

Julia looked around at the bike once she was on it, and pressed on the pedals, but didn't try to move. "Who is it from Mommy?" she asked.

"Kind of from all of us," Beckett said. "Martha was with you the first time you saw it and asked for it, Alexis took a picture of it and showed it to me, I bought it and Castle put it together last night."

"Thank you," Julia said, trying to get off the bike but getting a little tangled in her robe.

"Here," Castle said quickly, picking her up. He smiled when she hugged him and kissed his cheek and he handed her to Alexis, watching as she thanked her and his mother before going to Beckett.

"So was this a good Christmas?" she asked her daughter.

As Julia nodded Castle said, "It's not finished yet."

"No, but the gifts are set," Beckett said. "And I think we can turn our attention to breakfast."

"I'm hungry Mommy," Julia said.

"I'll take care of it today," Alexis said. "Since you made dinner last night Beckett, and tonight you and my dad are taking care of things, I'll take care of this."

"Thanks," Castle said as Julia tugged on his hand. "I think I'm needed to help with something."

"You and my mommy," Julia said, pulling him to her pile of gifts.

Beckett smiled as she followed Castle and her daughter, and sat with them as he started to take Julia's record player out of its box. "This was a great choice," she said once it was out, looking at the bright blue plastic.

"It pretty much screams her name," Castle said as Julia handed her mother Paul's album from the pile of four that were together.

"This one first?" Beckett asked with a smile. When Julia nodded her head hurriedly she opened the album packaging and took it out. "Ready?" she asked Castle.

"All set," he said. "And this is one of my favorites."

"Me too," Julia giggled heavily as she watched him lower the arm on the record as the turn table spun. She clapped as the opening chords of _Band on the Run_ played, and picked up her tablet, holding it out to him. "Can we open this?"

"I'll go grab some coffee," Beckett said, squeezing his shoulder then as Julia got onto his lap. "Julia, do you want some milk?" When her daughter nodded absently, looking at the screen of her tablet, she stood up and went to the doorway before stopping and watching the two for a moment, a smile soon appearing on her face at their conversation.

"I got you a new game," Castle was saying to Julia. "You know the one where you feed the monster?"

"Can I play it here?" the little girl asked eagerly.

"It's on here, and so is this version," Castle said. "Look, you travel through time, and you have to feed two monsters, one is the monster from the first game, and the second is his ancestor."

"Let's play now!" Julia said when she saw the first level of the game. "Thank you for getting me the game," she said, looking up at him. She then turned and hugged him tightly before he had her turn back around to start.

"You're welcome Julia, actually, let me tell you a secret," Castle said. When she was looking at him he whispered exaggeratedly, "I bought this game for my tablet too."

Beckett suppressed a laugh as her daughter giggled, and realized that while she had been listening to them she was holding her aquamarine pendant. She glanced down at it, and then shook herself, turning towards the kitchen and smiling as she saw Martha was watching her from the island before she walked down the hall.

* * *

"Anyone want to bet on this?" Castle asked as he stood next to his daughter in front of the TV in the family room.

"Bet on Alexis winning?" Beckett asked with a slight smirk on her lips.

"It's just a sprint, I think I can make it," Castle said.

"We'll see," Alexis said to get his attention as the race was about to start.

Beckett looked down at Julia as the race; from Alexis' new game she'd gotten from her dad; began, and had to laugh as Castle was trying to hold his daughter back. "It does help if you cheat," she said as Alexis smacked his hand away and managed to win the sprint.

"Does that hurt?" Julia asked as Castle pretended he was winded as he sat next to Beckett on the couch.

"I'm kidding, I'm fine, I thought I'd be able to hold her back enough, but no luck," Castle said. "Congratulations on your gold," he told his daughter.

"Want to play Julia?" Alexis said.

"Can I?" the little girl asked quickly.

"Let me see if I can get to the equestrian games…" Alexis began.

"Are you planning on trying that one out?" Castle asked his girlfriend.

"I might pass," Beckett said. "I'd do better on an actual horse."

"Me too," Castle said.

"Come here Julia," Alexis said then, turning to them. "It's actually very easy; all you have to do is jump or else run and jump."

"No dressage?" Beckett asked with a smile.

"Could you do that really?" Castle said. "Well, you could probably do some of the steps yourself." He stopped and when Beckett didn't say anything said, "No?"

"You answered your own question," she replied with a shrug. "What are you going to do?" she directed to Alexis.

"Probably the show jumping, since that's what we saw you and my dad do," Alexis replied. She then turned to Julia and said, "When you see that yellow line you jump, and hold onto the control so you don't drop it okay?"

Nodding, Julia was almost trembling in her excitement before Alexis told her to start, and she began to run before she jumped over the fences on the screen. When she had finished she asked breathlessly, "Did I do it right?"

"That depends on how Alexis does," Castle said. "But it says you didn't knock over any of the rails so I'm pretty sure that means you did a great job."

Giggling, Julia ran back to them and climbed up on her mother's lap as they waited for Alexis to take her turn. When the young woman began she cheered for her friend and clapped her hands, bouncing up and down until Alexis had finished.

"I think you won," the young woman said to Julia. "I knocked down a rail apparently, so you get the gold medal."

Smiling Julia said, "Thank you for letting me play."

"You're welcome," Alexis said. "Want to try out the fencing Dad?"

"I prefer actual foils," Castle said. "And I need to get things started in the kitchen."

"Will you play with me Alexis?" Julia then asked, taking her hand.

"Sure, what do you want to do?" Alexis asked as she let the little girl take her over to her presents.

"I guess this means I'm free to help you out," Beckett said with a smile as she stood with Castle.

"Great, because I'm not facing that meal all on my own," he said as they left the room. "So, this was alright?" he asked, touching her pendant while they were walking to the kitchen.

"I wouldn't be wearing it," Beckett said simply. "And I realize now this is what's been bothering you the past couple of days isn't it?"

"Pretty much," Castle said, tensing for a moment before he answered. "It's a little more… personal than a pair of earrings, so I was concerned about how you would react. Thought I might have an ace up my sleeve when I bought it."

"The aquamarine?" Beckett asked, laughing slightly. "You're right, you did," she said as she touched the pendant again. "And it was sweet of you to think of my daughter with this. And yourself to some degree."

"That wasn't really going through my mind when I picked it out," Castle said as they stood in front of the stove. "But, like you said, it's a coincidence."

"And one I don't mind," Beckett said with a smile as Castle raised his eyebrows before she kissed him quickly. "Now, I would like to get started, because I'm planning on still wearing this tonight at dinner, and I need to see if I can in fact pull that off."

"Great, then let's hurry," Castle said, following her to the fridge and feeling a great sense of relief as she began to talk about the gifts they'd bought together for Julia.

* * *

"Alright Julia," Beckett said, coming out into the room where her daughter was sitting on the bed and playing with her two Stitch dolls. "Time for you to get dressed," she said as the little girl looked up at her.

"Mommy, you look pretty," Julia said, standing up on the bed so her mother could pick her up.

"Thank you sweetie," Beckett said, kissing her temple. "And you do too."

"But I didn't get dressed yet," Julia said in slight confusion.

"Still," Beckett said with a smile as her daughter giggled at that. "How are your Stitch dolls getting along?" she asked as she set Julia down on the bed in her room.

"Good," Julia replied with a smile, looking at the doll she'd gotten that morning from Alexis, of Stitch dressed in a hula costume from the end of the movie. "They're brothers."

"Makes sense," Beckett said, grabbing her daughter's dress. "But for now you should let them sleep okay? You'll come back to go to bed and you'll see them then."

"Kay," Julia said, kissing her two dolls and setting them under the sheet on the pillow. She then let her mother change her out of her pajamas before putting on the new dress that Beckett had given her that morning. "I like this Mommy," she said with a smile as her mother tied the sash around her waist.

"Me too, which is why I bought it for you," Beckett said, turning her around. She smiled as she took Julia off the bed, and had her stand in front of the dresser so she could take a picture to send to her dad. "You look so sweet Julia," she said finally, sitting on the armchair and pulling her daughter to her.

"Thank you, but you look beautiful," Julia said, pronouncing the word carefully. "And this is pretty too," she said, touching her mother's pendant.

"I agree," Beckett said, hugging Julia to her gently before she kissed her temple.

"I agree with the first compliment," a voice said from the doorway, making the two look up. Castle smiled as Julia ran to him and said, "You look great Julia."

Smiling shyly, Julia wrapped her arms around him and hugged his side as he hugged her with one hand on her back. She then got out of the way for her mother, and looked down at her blue dress, turning the full skirt slightly so she could hear it swish; in a way giving Castle and Beckett some privacy.

"She's right, you look amazing," Castle said as Beckett walked up to him. After she had murmured a thank you he then said, "I see you were able to make the necklace work. You made me think you brought a dress the exact same color with you."

"How do you know that's not what I wanted you to think?" Beckett asked. She smirked slightly at Castle's surprised expression, and she said, "No, I was just kidding, as long as you didn't get me anything with onyx we're fine."

"I'm glad to hear that," Castle said before he looked down at Julia, Beckett following his gaze. "Are you hungry at all?" he asked them.

"I am," Julia said, looking up. She squealed when Castle picked her up, setting her on his hip. "Do you really think my mommy is pretty?" she asked as they left the room.

"I wouldn't lie about that," Castle assured her, glancing at Beckett who was walking next to him. He then lowered his voice to a whisper and said, "I think she would be able to tell I was lying anyways, so I wouldn't want to try."

Beckett smiled and slightly rolled her eyes at that as Julia giggled softly. She went down the stairs then carefully after him, and glanced down at her dress one final time, to reassure herself she'd made the better choice of the three dresses she'd brought in a kind of bizarre panic, not sure if any of them were really going to work. But she was satisfied with her choice, a sleeveless black dress that had a high waist, the fabric undecorated silk from the straps that clung to the sides of her shoulders to the hem that fell just past her knees, leaving her pendant to stand out as the only color on her. She was still wearing her necklace, and had silver jewelry to accent it, and she couldn't help it, reaching up to hold the aquamarine when they entered the dining room to find Alexis and Martha already sitting around the table.

"Your dress looks great Julia," Alexis said to the little girl as Castle set her down in the chair next to Beckett's.

"Thank you, you too," Julia said, sounding a little shy.

"So a toast?" Castle asked after he'd helped Beckett to her chair. Once everyone was holding their glass; Beckett helping Julia with hers; he said, "For our first Christmas with all of us here, and to the New Year."

"Cheers," Beckett said, along with Martha and Alexis before they tapped their glasses together. "I have to say, it has been a great Christmas," she commented as she helped Julia with her food, cutting her ham for her.

"Still not over," Castle said. "One minute after twelve and I'll ask how it was."

"Fine," Beckett said, rolling her eyes slightly though she was smiling. "Tomorrow," she then said once she was sure her daughter was set. "Since Julia has ice skates now-"

"Santa did bring them, you were right Castle," Julia interrupted her mother.

"I had a pretty good feeling he would," Castle said. "Luckily he delivered."

Beckett sighed under her breath at that; since that was one of the gifts he'd known she'd bought before that day; and said, "Since she has them, I want her to have the chance to try them out."

"The pond should be frozen by now," Alexis said. "And I brought my skates so I'll go with you."

"We'll all go," Castle said. "Mother-" he began.

"Oh no, I will be heading out to visit some friends that day, so you go skate and freeze, I will be very comfortably warm," Martha interrupted him.

"Will we freeze?" Julia asked in confusion.

"It's a figure of speech," Martha said with a smile at the little girl. "But you will have fun I know. Does she know how to skate?" she directed to Beckett.

"No, I'll have to teach her," Beckett said. "Which will be fun," she said to her daughter who was looking a little anxious. "But I'll make sure if the pond is ready, it warmed up a little today."

"So Julia," Castle said after the conversation had gone to the weather and they had discussed the potential blizzard that was predicted to hit in a few days. He'd noticed that Beckett's daughter was looking a little bored, and decided to include her in the conversation. "What was your favorite present today?"

Jumping slightly as she hadn't been paying attention to the conversation, Julia looked up at him and said shyly, "I liked everything."

"I think I asked that the wrong way," Castle said.

"I think so," Beckett said laughingly. "Sweetie, what did you like most from Alexis?"

"My Stitch doll," Julia said quickly, smiling at the young woman. "And my costumes are my favorite from you," she said to Martha.

"What about Santa?" Castle then queried.

Julia took a little longer to answer that before she said, "My skates."

"Should I separate our gifts?" Castle then said to Beckett. "She got a number of them from both of us."

"I liked all those," Julia said. "But I think I like my mandolin best."

"Me too," Beckett said. "I'm so glad we found it in that catalogue," she said to Castle.

"And I liked my movies and records from you," Julia said to Castle.

"You're welcome, I hope you don't mind if I watch the movies and listen to the records with you," he said, smiling when the little girl only nodded as she was sipping her milk. "What about from your mom?"

Julia was quiet then, nibbling on her lower lip as she looked down at her lap. "I liked all of them," she said softly.

"It's okay if you like one more out of them all," Martha said gently.

"She's right," Beckett said, running her hand over her daughter's hair. "You don't have to like one the most."

"But I do," Julia said softly. "The pictures of us and Grandmama and Grandpapa."

Beckett smiled at that, and kissed Julia on the cheek tenderly before saying, "I'm really happy to hear that."

"That was a great gift," Alexis said. "And I'm not surprised you liked it the most out of your mom's gifts either."

"Did you know my grandmama?" Julia asked her softly, but looking up at her mother as she'd spoken.

"No, but I wish she was here so she could meet you," Alexis said, glancing at Beckett who nodded quickly to indicate that it was alright to talk about that.

"Finish eating sweetie," Beckett said gently. "And we'll take a look at your presents again when you're done." She quickly changed the subject again, that time directing it to celebrating the New Year which took a long time to discuss as everyone had a different idea of how to spend the night of the 31st.

The meal finished and after cleaned up by Castle, Beckett and Alexis, they joined Martha and Julia in the family room by the tree, seeing that the little girl was looking through her costume trunk.

"We'll try those costumes on tomorrow sweetie," Beckett said as she sat on the couch and motioned for her daughter to come over to her. "I want you to wear this dress for a little longer," she said, hugging and kissing Julia's cheek when she had reached her.

"Me too," Julia said with a smile. "Now what do we do?" she asked as she leaned against her mother's legs.

"Didn't you get some games today?" Alexis asked. "I'll play one with you."

"We should all play with Julia," Castle commented as the little girl went over to the stack of board games she'd received from them all.

"This one?" Beckett asked as her daughter handed her a tall box.

"You used to have that game didn't you Alexis?" Martha asked as Castle took out the tall plastic cylinder from its box.

"I did, I loved it, though it drove me crazy when I would make those marbles fall," Alexis said. "When you get older you get better," she told Julia who was listening to her.

"Do I play or do you have to Mommy?" Julia asked her mother as she was helping Castle put the plastic sticks into the middle of the container.

"No, you can, but you have to be very careful, especially when you're getting the game ready," Beckett answered, her tone getting annoyed at the end as she glared at Castle.

"Sorry, didn't realize that I was going to poke you," he said quickly, realizing what he'd done as she was working on the other side of the container.

"Stab me more like it," Beckett said, shaking her head. "Okay, someone put in the marbles, sweetie?"

"I can!" Julia said eagerly as Alexis opened the package for her. She almost started to take them out and put them in the top of the cylinder one at a time before the young woman helped her pour them in all at once.

"We did a good job," Castle said, shaking the container. "And I thought I'd get rusty at this one."

"It's just putting it together," Beckett said. "See if you're any good at actually playing it."

"I'll take that challenge," Castle said matter of factly. "Oh, Julia, you can go ahead and be the first one to play."

"What do I do?" Julia asked, looking a little confused as she looked at the game.

"Pull one of these sticks out, but you have to make sure you don't let the marbles drop," Alexis explained.

"Isn't that game a little difficult for her?" Martha asked, watching them as she nursed her glass of wine.

"We can help her a little," Beckett said. She was going to speak to her daughter, but Julia ran around the table and sat on her knees next to Alexis. "Here," she said, handing a pillow to Castle's daughter. "I was going to tell you to pick someone to play with, but you took care of that already."

"Maybe we should play as duos," Castle suggested.

"That's not fair for them," Beckett said in protest as the others did the same.

"You should be able to play on your own Richard," Martha called out. "I seem to remember you never needing anyone to help you when cards are involved."

"This is very different," Castle said before Beckett squeezed his arm. He fell silent then as Alexis helped Julia pick one of the sticks, and slowly draw it out from the cylinder.

"Did I win?" Julia asked, looking at the stick and then the marbles.

"Well, you didn't win," Beckett said. "But you did pretty well for your first time."

"Alexis did too," Julia then said as the young woman set her stick down.

"She did," Beckett said a little absently as she studied the game and chose another stick. Right when she grabbed it she was suddenly shaken and she yelled in surprise when Castle said, "Earthquake test!" loudly. She hurriedly let go of the one she'd picked, and then slapped him on the shoulder. "How many times are you going to cheat?" she asked, shaking her head as he laughed.

"Come on, I knew you'd be fine," Castle said. "And it worked; game seems to be pretty sturdy."

Rolling her eyes, Beckett turned back to the game, and pulled out the stick she had originally chosen, managing to keep any marbles from dropping.

Castle then went, using his other hand to hold Beckett's hands together to keep her from trying anything on him. "Okay," he said. "I-" he began before a marble dropped. "Never mind," he laughed. "That's your revenge," he said to Beckett as Julia gasped in surprise.

"I guess so," Beckett said with a smile as he squeezed her hands before letting her go and they turned their attention to her daughter.

"My turn?" Julia asked. When Castle and Beckett nodded she looked at Alexis and then drew out the stick that she'd chosen, holding her breath.

Watching as the game continued Martha commented towards the end, "This is a very exciting game."

"I know, I'm getting so nervous," Castle said as Julia giggled at his pseudo anxious tone of voice.

"I think that's because you're losing," Beckett said in mock exasperation.

"Only by one," Castle pointed out as she took her turn after Alexis. "Okay, I think we're finished," he told them as he looked at the marbles and realized they were just barely staying up by a few sticks. "I take any one of these out I'm definitely the loser."

"Then Julia won," Beckett said, smiling at her daughter.

"I did?" Julia asked, looking down at the four marbles she'd accumulated.

"You did," Alexis said. "Want to play again? Me and you?" When Julia nodded she took out the sticks until all the marbles fell to the bottom, and started to put the ones they'd taken out back in.

"I think I need some fresh air," Castle commented then, standing up.

"Sounds like a good idea," Beckett said, wondering why he didn't really meet her gaze as he stood up. "Mind if I join you?"

"Actually I don't," Castle said, smiling at her. "We'll be back," he told his mother, Alexis and Julia. He was relieved no one commented on their leaving, and motioned for Beckett to go ahead of him. He followed her out of the room, and helped her into her coat before he put on his, and last they drew on their gloves and scarves. He remembered just in time to grab a blanket, and then took Beckett's hand before they went out into the crisp, snowy night.


	6. I'll Be Loving You Always

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Always, which was written by Irving Berlin, but the version I've taken it from is Paul McCartney's version from his album Kisses On the Bottom. It is a fantastically written song, and to me, in my mind, is Castle and Beckett's "song" for my series.

"Is there any reason why we're outside, in the snow," Beckett said as she tucked the blanket Castle had brought out with them around her lap. "Other than you wanting fresh air?"

"I should have brought some coffee out," Castle said with a nod, deflecting from the question. "Would that have placated you?"

"It might have," Beckett said. "Though we could have easily had it inside."

"Are you that cold?" Castle asked, beginning to stand.

"Stop, I'm teasing you," Beckett said, pulling him back down next to her. "But I'm still wondering."

"I thought it would be fun to sit out here… for a while," Castle said, looking behind him at the backyard where the snow was falling in soft flakes. "Before we freeze."

"I'm fine," Beckett assured him. "I do have this blanket, but you?"

"I'm good," Castle said, watching as she took his hand. He squeezed it back and said, "Much better than our first Christmas."

"Well, of course," Beckett said with a smile. "But you're right, it was a lot of fun, it's far different when you have a child. You were right when you said that."

"And it wasn't too bad celebrating here," Castle commented.

"No, I just wasn't sure about coming all the way out here with all the gifts for Julia," Beckett said. She then smiled and said, "It'll be interesting to get everything back to the city."

"We still have a week until then, so we don't have to worry about that," Castle said simply. "I wanted to say though, again, thank you for the copy of _Casino Royale_. I have spent a long time, looking around for it and I have never had that much luck finding a signed copy."

"Your mother told me," Beckett said with a slight smile on her face. She then said, before he could speak, "You want to know how I found it."

"Well, yes, since I'm interested to know how you could get it," Castle said.

"I just went to Ireland," Beckett said simply. When Castle's brow furrowed in confusion, she smiled widely and said, "I contacted some bookstores, when I found one in Dublin, and luckily the owner was willing to mail the book to me."

"I feel like going to this place," Castle said. "If they have that book, I'm dying to know what else they might have."

"It would be interesting to go to," Beckett nodded. "I bet it's a tiny place with nothing but walls of shelves, filled to overflowing with old books… but safely stored of course," she ended with a slight smirk at him.

"Yes, thank you, I know," Castle said in slight frustration of the reminder about their case right after Thanksgiving. They had been apprehending a suspect in an old fashioned bookstore in the Bronx, and his curiosity about a book on a dangerously over stuffed shelf had led to him being almost buried under books. "At least I didn't get paper cuts all over me," he said.

"That would have been interesting to explain to them," Beckett said, motioning to the house as they had gone to his place for dinner that same night and the other three had been there waiting for them. "But probably not a surprise for your mom and Alexis."

"No," Castle said before they both laughed slightly. When they had calmed down he said, "We've had a lot of… interesting cases."

"We have," Beckett agreed, nodding slightly. "And very interesting outcomes." She noticed then that he looked a little serious, so she reached over, touching his shoulder and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, no, was just thinking about those cases," Castle said quickly, shaking his head. "And I can't help remember that first one."

"Which I don't blame you for, it turned out to be one of the more interesting ones I myself have gone through," Beckett said, smirking again.

"Because-" Castle started to say.

"That was the first case I'd come up against with the crime scene staged as if in a book," Beckett interrupted him. "Yes, I meant because I had to work with you," she said with an exaggerated sigh. When he smiled she said, "Eventually I started looking on that first case in a better light… slightly."

"I thought it was great," Castle said. "Except when you turned me down after the arrest."

"You would," Beckett shot back. She smiled then and said, "I knew I wasn't likely to get more than a night or two," as she looked down at her lap.

"I can't really respond to that," Castle said as she glanced up at him.

"No, because you've changed, a lot, since then," Beckett replied. When they were both quiet for a while she asked, "Why are we reminiscing?" starting to feel a little concerned.

"The subject just came up," Castle said with a shrug. He turned to look at her then, and took her hand saying, "We've been together for a long time now."

"A year and a half," Beckett said slowly, looking at him closely. She tried to discern where his line of thought was going, but was afraid to really try and figure it out.

"And before that four years," Castle commented, looking up at her then. He saw the look on her face, and when he saw she looked a little worried, he took a deep breath, and said, "We've been through a lot as well. If anyone else were to look at our relationship, I think they would make us a case study."

"You mean a psychologist?" Beckett asked, at that point completely confused and deciding to wait and hear what he had to say before she reacted.

"Something like that, I'm just saying it hasn't been an unbroken path for us," Castle said, looking into her eyes.

"No, but… we've worked at it so it hasn't been that bad lately," Beckett felt compelled to say; then cursed herself for her response.

"You're right, but I'm not saying I'm tired of the relationship, far from it," Castle said reassuringly, knowing then what she was afraid of. "But what I want… it's a little… I'm a little unsure of what you might say Kate."

"Then you should just ask Rick," Beckett said, really perplexed though she was starting to guess what he was insinuating. When he squeezed her hand she gently squeezed it back, trying to urge him to continue as he was quiet and she knew he was thinking of how to word what to say next.

"I have a hard time putting this into words, which I'm sure is a shock to you," Castle said as Beckett looked surprised. "But I've been thinking about this long enough and I can't really think of any other way to say it. I'm not kidding around when I say I love you, that's never been my style."

"The same for me," Beckett said quickly.

"Then we're both agreed," Castle said. "But I've been thinking, for a while now, and I realized something."

"And, and what is that?" Beckett asked, her throat suddenly dry.

"This doesn't have to end," Castle said. "I don't want it to end, because I'm having a hard time not seeing you in my life." He looked at her intently for a moment, and then moved, still clutching tightly to her hand; as if to a lifeline; as he got on one knee in front of her. As she looked at him, stunned, he said, trying to control his voice so he wasn't racing through one of the most important questions he'd ever posed to her, "I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I don't know if this is something we share, but I'm going to say it, in the hopes that what we have means as much to you as it does to me." Taking a deep breath again he reached into his coat pocket, and said, as he held up his hand, "Katherine Houghton Beckett, will you marry me?"

At first, Beckett was unsure if she could bring the range of emotions that simple question brought her into control. But she managed to, and she looked down at Castle as he held a ring up to her, still holding her hand with his free hand. She saw in him the irritating writer that wouldn't stop following her, the man who stood by her side in her search for her mother's killer and her partner. But she then quickly saw him as being more of a father to her daughter than any man she had dated would have ever been. And the man she was in love with. The realization that she had never really loved anyone in the past so much so the thought of him ending their relationship had pained her deeply led her to open her mouth.

"Yes," Beckett said, almost unsure if she herself had spoken the words as her voice sounded as if it was far away. But she repeated it, and it felt more real; and a little surreal at the same time as Castle looked immensely relieved. She helped him take her glove off her left hand as he had a little trouble at first since he was trying not to drop the ring. But once it was off, he slid the ring onto her finger, and she was struck again by the same sensation, that the weight of the silver band was real, but she couldn't believe that they were engaged; though it was fading as he covered her hand with his. Smiling down at him, she made him sit back next to her, and pulled him to her before wrapping her arms around his neck.

Kissing Beckett deeply, Castle could feel his anxiety about her answer was gone, relief and a certain amount of joy that startled him in its place. He realized that he had been terrified she would say no, and would never be with her again. When they pulled apart to breathe he said, "I love you."

"I love you Castle," Beckett replied, smiling slightly before she looked down at the ring. On the silver band were three diamonds, a round one surrounded on either side by a smaller pear shaped diamond on its side. She glanced back up to him, and kissed him passionately before he took her hand off of his cheek. "I'm not cold," she assured him with a smile. "And now I see why you were worrying about that earlier."

"I didn't need you freezing before I could ask," Castle said simply. "I wasn't sure how I would get a reply then."

"So it wasn't the necklace you were worried about," Beckett stated.

"I was a little… it was a kind of test run for this," he said, holding up her hand. "And it was worth the apprehension I had bringing you out here. I'm serious-" he said then to her before she could say anything.

Beckett quickly covered his mouth with her hand, sensing it was an aftermath of his nervousness, and said, "I'm feeling the same way… I honestly thought you were going to end things."

"I had a feeling you were thinking that, it was why I was trying to steer the conversation away from that," Castle said. "Sorry about delaying."

"No, you needed to say what you did, and I appreciate it," Beckett said. "We've never really discussed our feelings much deeper than the fact that we love each other…"

"We're lucky we're alike in that," Castle said a little absently. When Beckett looked at him questioningly he then said, "There's something else I wanted to talk to you about."

"Okay," Beckett said, surprised to see him hesitate for a moment before speaking again.

"Whenever it is exactly that we do get married; and with your permission of course; I'd like to adopt Julia," Castle said, watching for her reaction.

Closing her eyes for a moment as she smiled, Beckett opened them to look at him and said, "You want to be Julia's father."

"Yes, and that I'm serious about too," Castle said, feeling he needed to explain himself with the way she'd said that.

"Wait," Beckett said calmly, placing her hand on his chest to stop him that time. "You weren't able to tell before this?" she asked.

Castle wasn't sure how reply to that, so he said slowly, "I'm not sure."

"Do you remember what we talked about on the beach earlier this summer? After our dinner together?" Beckett asked.

"Yes," Castle said quickly. "You wanted me to be… you want me to be Julia's father," he said interrupting himself as he realized what she was getting at.

"Unofficially you have been," Beckett said simply. "But yes, to you adopting her, and thank you for asking because I wasn't sure I would be able to ask you."

"I could care less she's not yours Kate," Castle said firmly, understanding her uncertainty. "I love her as much as Alexis and I want her to have a dad, even if it's me."

"Again, if I didn't want you around my daughter I'm pretty sure we wouldn't be here right now," Beckett said. "But," she paused then, realizing what he had said. "You love her?"

Castle nodded, and wasn't too surprised when Beckett reached up to cup his cheeks and kissed him. He responded quickly to her, pleased at her reaction, and he held her to him until they needed to breathe. "I wouldn't do everything I do for her if I didn't," he reminded her.

Nodding, Beckett realized the same applied to how he felt about her. She then said, "We should probably go inside, did your mother or Alexis know already you were going to propose?"

"No," Castle said as they stood. "And I never mentioned wanting to adopt Julia either. So their reactions will be pretty interesting. But actually, my mother was asking me last night if I was going to ask you to marry me, not right out, but it's what she meant."

"You're right," Beckett said as he took the blanket from her and they walked hand in hand to the house. When he looked at her questioningly she said, "Their reactions will be interesting to see, especially when you tell them about adopting my daughter."

"How do you think Julia will take the news?" Castle asked, stopping her before they got to the door.

"I'm not sure," Beckett said with a slight sigh. "I'm hoping the fact you're with us so much will help her realize it won't be too much of a change. And I'm talking about everything, not just this," she finished as she looked down at her left hand though her glove was back on.

Castle nodded and said, "We should go ahead and tell her then." They went back inside, and he helped her with her coat before he took off his own and then gloves and scarf. "Is there any particular way you'd like to let Julia know?" he asked.

"I don't think we're going to have to hint at it once we walk in the room," Beckett said.

"That's very true," Castle said then, taking her hand. He led the way to the family room, seeing Julia was looking at one of the books that had come with the deluxe edition of _Wings Over America_ with his daughter. He was about to clear his throat as he and Beckett walked inside, when Martha looked up at them.

"You asked her, finally Richard I was beginning to think I was going to need to be less subtle," she said in slight exasperation as she immediately saw the ring on Beckett's finger. She stood and walked over to the two, saying, "And you said yes? This isn't on temporarily to wait for your answer?"

"I said yes," Beckett said with a smile before she shared a hug with Martha and smiled as Alexis came up to them. She was relieved when the young woman gave them her congratulations; sharing a hug with Castle's daughter; as she was unsure what Alexis' reaction would be as much as Castle was worried about what Julia would think. She then looked over at her daughter as Alexis and Martha were looking at her ring, seeing the little girl was looking at her book still.

Sharing a look with Alexis then, Martha said, "This deserves some champagne. I believe I saw a couple bottles along with some sparkling apple cider. Would you like some Julia?"

"Kay," the little girl said, holding her book up to her chest.

"Sweetie," Beckett said, walking over to her daughter once it was just them and Castle in the room. She stopped him before he could follow her, and sat on the couch where Julia was standing. She reached up and brushed off some of the hair on Julia's cheek, not realizing she had used her left hand.

"Did Castle give you the ring Mommy?" Julia asked touching her hand.

"Yes he did," Beckett said, glancing at Castle then and motioning with her right hand for him to join them.

"Celia's mommy has a ring like that," Julia said slowly. "And another ring but it's plain."

"That's right, this is an engagement ring," Beckett said. "Do you know what that means?" When her daughter shook her head no, she pulled her close and said, "It means that one day Castle and I will get married."

"Oh," Julia said after she looked like she was thinking for a moment. "Celia says her daddy asked her mommy too."

"That's right," Beckett said, a little unsure if her daughter understood what she was saying. "Castle asked me and I said yes too, sweetie, this isn't something bad," she then told her, realizing that Julia was a little scared at the news.

"But… is Castle gonna take you away?" Julia whispered.

"He's not," Beckett said firmly, cupping her daughter's face in her hands.

"Actually, there's more that I asked your mom tonight Julia," Castle said, touching her shoulder. He wasn't surprised when she tensed slightly, but it still hurt since she hadn't done that in a long time.

"What else did you ask her Dad?" Alexis asked, coming in with a champagne glass. "For you," she quickly said to Julia.

Castle held up his hand before his mother came in with a tray, and after they were all holding a glass he said, "Before we have a toast, or speech from you Mother, there's one other thing I asked Beckett." When his mother and daughter looked at him questioningly he looked at Julia and knelt down so he was face to face with her saying, "I asked if your mom for her permission for me to adopt you, whenever it is that she and I get married."

"Oh Dad, really?" Alexis asked eagerly. "Is it okay if he does?" she then asked Beckett.

"We had a little talk about that," Beckett said with a smile. "I told him he's pretty much Julia's father now, just not legally."

"That is wonderful to hear Richard, it makes tonight even better," Martha said. She looked at Julia and said, "What do you think kiddo?"

Looking down at her shoes, Julia merely shrugged before she cried out in surprise as her mother lifted her up into her arms. "I'm sorry Mommy," she said tearfully, thinking she was in trouble. "I don't know."

"It's okay," Beckett said soothingly, kissing her forehead. "What you being adopted means, is that Castle will be your dad."

"Oh, does… he take me from you?" Julia asked, fear tingeing her voice.

"No," Castle said firmly. "I would never separate you from your mom. It means that we'll be a family."

"Us?" Julia asked, motioning to herself, Beckett and Castle.

"All of us," Alexis said.

"Kay," Julia said, biting her lower lip a little.

Beckett was a little disappointed at Julia's reaction, but she couldn't blame the little girl. She set her daughter down and said, "We'll talk later okay sweetie?" When Julia nodded, she took her glass back from Castle and said, "Why don't we have that toast?"

"First," Martha said before anyone could tap their glasses together. "I want to give my congratulations to you again Richard, Kate. This took some time, but I couldn't be happier with the outcome for you both. And to you to Julia, since you will be part of the family as well."

"Thank you Martha," Beckett said, smiling as Alexis murmured her agreement with her grandmother's words. She tapped her glass against Castle's before doing the same with his mother and Alexis before she bent down slightly to her daughter. "I love you Julia," she said tenderly, kissing her cheek and then tapping her glass to hers. She stood up then, and whispered into Castle's ear before kissing his cheek briefly.

"What were you looking at before?" Castle asked the little girl.

"The book in the box you gave me," Julia said softly.

"Want to show your mom and me?" Castle suggested.

Julia's face brightened up at that, and she ran over to her mother who was talking with Martha and Alexis before grabbing her hand. "Come and look at my book I got Mommy," she said when Beckett had looked down at her.

Shaking his head when slightly when Beckett glanced at him as she and Julia came over to the couch, Castle said, "I was interested in the books that came with this when I ordered this for you. So anything that's cool in here?"

"Yeah, look, there are pictures of Paul, and this one is the best," Julia said once she and her mother were sitting on the couch. She opened it and went to the back of the book, pulling out a folded in picture.

"That's really nice," Beckett said. "Too bad you couldn't detach it; we could have hung it up in your room."

"Maybe you can copy that and print it out," Castle mused.

"But look," Julia then said once she was sure they had looked at the picture for long enough before she went to the next fold in picture. "It says Castle here."

"You're right," Beckett said in surprise. "Funny coincidence."

"Maybe not, since I did give her the box set," Castle said.

"Yes, but you're not the artist who made this picture," Beckett said, rolling her eyes slightly.

"I wish I had that kind of talent… but no, you're right," Castle said. "Wait, she can read? Or did you tell her Alexis?' he asked his daughter, looking over at where she was sitting in one of the armchairs, watching them with Martha.

"She knows how to read a little," Beckett said. "She knows her name and she knows yours too."

"Really? Then you're a pretty smart girl," Castle said to Julia who smiled a little and whispered a thank you to him. He touched her arm, and was a little surprised when she moved so he could pick her up and put her on his lap. "So, you like this present?" he asked, smiling at Beckett as Julia nodded hurriedly.

"It's Paul," Julia giggled softly.

"That's why I thought it would be perfect, and when you get older you'll be able to read what it says," Castle told her.

Nodding her head, Julia said, "Can we watch a movie?" directing the question to her mother.

"I think so, what do you want to watch?" Beckett asked.

"I don't know," Julia said, after looking a little flabbergasted.

"Let's look at your DVDs you got today," Castle said. "And you got a lot of them so I hope it's okay if I help you a little."

"Yeah," Julia said, smiling shyly.

Beckett was a little relieved as she watched her daughter and Castle looking through the small pile of movies Julia had gotten from them all. But she knew that Julia was still a little unsure about their announcements so she knew she would have to talk to her, hoping that her daughter would come to understand that hers and Castle's engagement and the adoption were not changes to be afraid of.

"Ask your mom if you can watch that," Castle was saying to Julia. He followed her back to Beckett, sitting next to her as her daughter begged to watch the movie _Help!_

"You've seen this one already though," Beckett said gently. "You don't want to watch another one?"

"No Mommy, I want to see this, please?" Julia begged a little.

"Do you mind?" Beckett then directed to Alexis and Martha.

"Not at all, I remember seeing this movie, in the cinema, but that was the last time," Martha said as Alexis shook her head. "From what I recall it is a very funny movie."

"It's the best," Julia said happily as Castle put the DVD into the player. She clapped her hands as her mother picked her up but she said, "Let me stand now Mommy."

"Oh, sorry, I forgot," Beckett said, trying not to laugh as she had wondered if Julia was going to do what she normally did when they watched the movie. Sure enough, her daughter; as soon as the opening song began; started to jump up and down in time with the music.

"That's one way to get some exercise," Martha said, smiling as they were all watching the little girl.

"She'll sleep really well tonight," Alexis said with a slight laugh as Julia giggled at that.

Castle grabbed Julia then and tried to pick her up when she shook her head. "You want to sit with your mom?" he asked her. He was a little surprised to see she looked a little hesitant as she nodded, but he handed her over to Beckett before he sat closer to her as Julia sat on her lap.

"Okay?" Beckett asked.

"Can we have desserts?" Julia asked instead of answering her question.

"We forgot all about it," Martha said as Castle quickly paused the movie. "Which is understandable considering the circumstances."

"But we still have them?" Julia asked as Beckett stood up.

"We will, but not too much," Beckett told her daughter as they all walked to the kitchen together. "Especially for you sweetie, you need to go to bed soon."

"Kay," Julia said, seeming to be completely unfazed by that. She watched as the others got some of the desserts they had before Castle handed her a cookie; one of the ones she had made with her mother. "Thank you," she said shyly to him.

"You're welcome, do you mind if I have one too?" Castle asked. "They're pretty good still." When she nodded he then asked, "Ready?"

Looking over at her mother who was talking with Alexis, Julia nodded slightly when she saw Beckett's ring shining in the light and took Castle's hand that he was holding out to her. "Do you like the snowflake?" she asked him as they walked back to the family room ahead of the others.

"I do, but you know, honestly I prefer both shapes," Castle said.

Julia nodded, and then looked down at her cookie before taking a bite. When they reached the family room she ran to the Christmas tree then, and stood looking at the ornaments until her mother came in and she hurried to sit with her.

Beckett was a little concerned when she walked into the room, Castle standing and watching her daughter. She squeezed him arm in passing, and took Julia in her arms as he started the movie again, kissing her temple gently as Julia snuggled up against her.

When the movie had finished, Castle glanced over at the little girl, who had ended up sitting in between him and Beckett. She was fast asleep, and when he saw that he looked at Beckett a little questioningly.

"Go ahead," Beckett said softly. She watched as Castle picked her daughter up, getting a strong sense of déjà-vu as she stood with him. "We'll be back," she said to Martha and Alexis for him before leaving the room. She walked ahead of him up the stairs, and she wasn't aware of Julia waking up until Castle spoke.

"Julia, wait, easy, she's right in front of us," he told the little girl as she struggled in his arms.

"Mommy!" Julia begged, almost sounding scared as she turned and saw Beckett. When she was in her mother's arms she pressed against her tightly, burying her face in her neck as they continued up the stairs.

Hanging back when they reached the doorway to Julia's room, Castle turned to look at the wall across from him as Beckett changed her daughter. He could hear her brushing Julia's teeth, and he was almost brooding when he felt a touch to his arm. "Does she want to say goodnight?" he asked in surprise.

"She does, but… I don't think she's up for how you normally say it," Beckett said softly so Julia wouldn't hear her. She led him into the room and watched as he went to the bed.

"Thank you for my presents," Julia said softly, not meeting his gaze. "Merry Christmas."

"Thank you for mine," Castle said as he squeezed her shoulder. "Merry Christmas Julia, goodnight."

"Night," Julia whispered, hugging her two Stitch dolls tightly to her.

A little frustrated; and worried; Castle went to the doorway, giving Beckett and Julia some space.

"Get some rest sweetie," Beckett said to her daughter as she sat on the bed next to her. "Tomorrow we'll take another look at your presents while we're moving them up here, and try to go skating."

"Kay," Julia said with a smile up at her mother.

"Was it a fun Christmas," Beckett asked, stroking her daughter's cheek with the backs of her fingers.

Julia nodded and then yawned widely saying, "Don't wanna sleep."

"I know, but you should," Beckett said, leaning down and kissing her daughter. She stood up then and walked over to the doorway where Castle had moved to. She stood for a moment, watching Julia as she blinked furiously a few times, then sighed before she relaxed. At that point she turned off the light, and stepped out into the hallway with him.

"Kate, this is a pretty big step back," Castle said.

"You're going to wake her up," Beckett said quickly, covering his mouth with her hand. She looked back at the door, listening for Julia, but when everything was quiet she motioned for him to go downstairs with her. "I know it's a problem," she said quietly when they were going down. "But you know the reason why that is."

"But," Castle said. When he saw they were nearing the family room he grabbed Beckett's arm and pulled her to the living room. "What exactly am I going to do? She's acting like she did when we came here in August, at the start of the trip."

"You're right, but she doesn't understand this Castle," Beckett said. "As far as she knows, this engagement, or else you adopting her means another change to her life, and she's afraid of what that might be, what will happen to her."

"I'm aware of that, but trying not to be… how I normally am now with her wasn't working," Castle said.

"Look, I know you're frustrated, but, I need to talk to her about this," Beckett said simply to try and calm him down as she could sense his aggravation in his tone. "You know she doesn't do so well with change, and I think once I talk with her, explain to her what's going to happen now, she'll be able to go back to normal. I hope."

Sighing, Castle said, "What if I talk to her?" When Beckett began to open her mouth he quickly said, "I'm going to become her father, I think I should start acting like it at some point. And it seems like this is the best time."

"You're right," Beckett said. "But just… be careful."

"Well of course," Castle replied. "No, I'm serious, I'll talk to her tomorrow; let me talk to her before you do; and I'll do my best not to scare her," he said, taking her hand.

"Alright, but… try and do something first to get her to trust you. Play a game or maybe listen to some music, then talk with her," Beckett said.

"I will," Castle promised. "You know she's a little…" he began before he trailed off, not sure she would want to hear what he had to say.

"She's like me?" Beckett asked. When Castle nodded she said with a slight sigh, "You're right, but, considering what she's been through, I'm shocked she's been able to open up to anyone at all."

"That's what makes you a great mother," Castle quickly said.

"I wasn't fishing for a compliment," Beckett said.

"No, but I thought I should mention that, because it needs to be said, especially how much you've done for your daughter," Castle said.

"And that's the reason I have, she's my child," Beckett said. "But you're only here with us as my b… my fiancé," she quickly corrected herself. "And yet you're one of the few men she completely trusts." Before Castle could say anything then she hurriedly spoke again, "That's why I wanted you to be there for her from the start. I knew you would do that for her, and you probably wouldn't even realize it either. So please, talk to her tomorrow morning, I might stay in bed for a little longer so you can do that. I know that between the two of us we should be able to fix this with Julia."

"Right, as soon as I get up tomorrow," Castle said firmly. "And thank you for that."

"It's the truth," Beckett said with a shrug. She smiled then as Castle took her hand and pulled her to him, though they hadn't been standing that far apart. "You want to know something I just realized?"

"What?" Castle asked.

"We've discussed my daughter a lot more since I adopted her than we really have talked about us," Beckett said, smiling slightly so he would know it wasn't something she found that serious; though she thought it was a little troubling.

"Yes, well, it's a lot easier," Castle said, knowing what she meant. "You're right, we probably should but-"

"There really isn't much reason at this point," Beckett finished for him. "Though I have to wonder how nervous you were before you asked me."

"Nervous? Please," Castle said, trying to brush it off. When Beckett just looked at him he said, "I was a little… unsettled let's just say. I was leaning towards you saying yes, but of course that wasn't for sure. Which isn't very fun."

"No, I can imagine," Beckett said. "But it's done and now we actually do need to talk about us."

"Right, but do we need to at this moment?" Castle asked, knowing she was talking about what they were going to do, working together and hiding their relationship which had just progressed significantly. "I mean, I'm not deflecting," he said quickly when she looked at him. "Let's just wait for the holidays to be over to discuss that."

"How about we wait until we're alone?" Beckett asked.

"What about somewhere in between that?" Castle said. When she sighed he knew she had agreed and he said, "We should rejoin my mother and Alexis." As she nodded he looked at her closely, to see if she was irritated with him, but he didn't see any sign of it, so he kissed her deeply in his relief. When they pulled apart he looked into her eyes and kissed her a second time, her response making him grab her tighter than he'd been holding her before. When he was going to kiss her yet again after they'd taken the time to catch their breath, he heard his mother and daughter walking down the hall, talking, and he let Beckett go enough to take her hand with his as they walked to the door.

"Are you two alright? You didn't come back to the room, we thought there might be something wrong," Martha said.

"You mean were we fighting?" Beckett asked. "No, we needed to talk about Julia."

"Is she okay?" Alexis asked. "She seemed to be a little unhappy about the big announcement you had."

"She'll be okay," Beckett said, squeezing Castle's shoulder. "Do you feel like coffee?"

"Wait, Gram and I actually came over to tell you we're heading up to our rooms," Alexis said before Beckett could walk down to the kitchen.

"So early?" Castle asked.

"I said going up to our rooms, we'll sleep later," Alexis said.

"Max?" Beckett asked.

"Yeah, we're planning a quick chat tonight, to catch up," Alexis replied with a smile.

"And I am planning on going over my gifts, see what I can wear in the upcoming days and what is going to need to wait for warmer weather," Martha said. "Thank you so much for your gifts Richard, Kate," she said, hugging first her son and then Beckett. "And it is wonderful news, again, about your engagement."

"Thank you Martha. Again," Beckett said with a slight smile as Alexis hugged her father. "Thank you for your gifts for me and Julia," she told the young woman.

"Thanks for mine, they were pretty great," Alexis said. "I might look over them myself after Max and I talk. Night."

"Night," Castle said, Beckett echoing him as they watched the two go over to the staircase. "So I was thinking," he said, turning to her. "What about vetting one of the movies I got Julia?"

"That would be nice, which one?" Beckett asked.

" _Wingspan_?" Castle suggested.

"Good choice, I've wanted to watch that one since you told us about the album that goes with it," Beckett said. "But I was serious about that coffee." She smiled when he nodded and then took her by the hand down the hall to the kitchen where she sat on one of the island chairs while he worked to get two mugs ready.

"There's something I didn't tell you, well, I couldn't really tell you until now," Castle said, turning to Beckett once the coffee was beginning to brew.

"And what is that exactly," she asked in slight surprise as he was so serious suddenly.

"You know the book I gave you this morning, with pictures of you and Julia from August?" Castle asked. When Beckett nodded he said, "I gave a copy of that book to your dad."

"You did?" Beckett asked in surprise. "When?"

"Earlier in the month, so it wasn't technically a gift, I didn't want him to think I was trying to get him to celebrate with us after I asked him," Castle said. "He liked it though; I think he enjoyed the pictures."

"I can imagine, Julia is his first grandchild," Beckett said simply. "But thank you for doing that. I'm going to need to call him and tell him about us tomorrow."

"Right," Castle said, going over to the coffee which finished. "So he'll be alright with this."

Smiling at how he had made that question a statement, Beckett said, "Yes, and before you say instead of ask me, he'll probably approve of you adopting Julia."

"Great," Castle said, turning and giving her a mug.

"So you didn't mention proposing to me when you went to see him?" Beckett asked after she'd taken a sip.

"No, if you're trying to subtly work in if I asked him for permission to marry you, that answer would be no as well," Castle said. "I never really got the impression you'd feel I needed to do that."

"You're right, you didn't," Beckett said, getting down from the chair as Castle was ready. "But he would have said yes if you had."

"You can be so sure?" Castle asked as they were walking down the hall back to the family room.

"I can, because he would have known already I would have said yes," Beckett said. "And you know he approves of our relationship."

"Sure, but one thing I'm wondering about," Castle said as he got the DVD ready. "Is if he'll be okay with my mother as Julia's grandmother."

"He will," Beckett said, looking at the stack of movies that Julia had gotten. "He's actually really glad that because Julia's been going to your mother's acting class she's gained some self confidence. And I've told him a little about Martha and Alexis' relationship, so he'll know she'll be a wonderful grandmother to Julia." She paused then and as he walked back to her asked, "Will she mind that?"

"I don't think so," Castle said. "Julia's practically her granddaughter already I'm sure, as much as she takes care of her. And remember, my mother and Alexis seemed to be pretty happy for us when I told them about wanting to adopt Julia."

"That's true," Beckett said slowly. She looked up at the TV as the menu came up on the screen and said, "You spoiled her with all these movies you know."

"Had to," Castle said simply. When she shot him a look he smiled and said, "It was a lot of fun. You know if you troll around Amazon, you find some interesting things. Movies you never even knew existed."

"Which is where I'm guessing this one of Paul's is coming from," Beckett said.

"You didn't know he had a movie?" Castle asked.

"No, she doesn't have any soundtracks from him on her playlist," Beckett replied, leaning back against the couch. "But it will be fun to watch. Speaking of which."

"Oh, sure," Castle said, realizing he hadn't pressed play. He quickly did so and sat back with her as the documentary began. He was a little startled when he was reminded of something when they watched the beginning, and quickly set that thought aside in his mind.

Beckett kept quiet until the movie ended an hour and a half later before she turned to Castle. "I think she can watch it," she said. "The one good thing about him, he was still a family guy though he was into drugs at the time."

"He was," Castle nodded. "But probably a good thing he's refrained from taking such a huge amount of pot with him on tour."

"I'm glad to see he reformed after that," Beckett said.

"But he-" Castle started to say as he stood up with her.

"I know, he still smoked it, but honestly, compared to some other rock stars at that time, it's not unexpected," Beckett said. "Though that's a great way to tell my daughter not to do drugs, since Paul doesn't anymore."

"So are we going up?" Castle asked as she led the way to the kitchen.

"After I check on Julia," Beckett said, rinsing her mug and setting it aside. She waited for him to do the same, and took his hand, leading him up to the door of Julia's room. For some reason, looking in on her daughter felt a little different that time, and she guessed everything that had happened that night after they'd gone to the gazebo would explain it. Once she was sure Julia was alright, she turned and closed the door behind them saying, "She'll be alright tomorrow."

"After we both talk to her," Castle said. He pulled Beckett to their room, and said, "I have something in mind I want to do."

* * *

"I wasn't really expecting this," Beckett said as she watched Castle roll up his sleeves. "The way you spoke it made me think it was going to involve the bed… or at least both of us with our clothes off."

"That can happen later," Castle said simply as he knelt next to the bathtub where she was sitting in the water. "I have done this for you before."

"I know, but as I said, I had something else in mind when you said you wanted to do something," Beckett replied. She reached over to him then, and kissed him deeply as he groaned in slight surprise. When she pulled away she said, "Clothes do come off pretty easily."

"They do, and they will later," Castle said, unable to resist and brushed his lips against hers as he spoke. "But I want this to go a little different than what you're thinking."

"So you keep saying," Beckett said as she watched him getting a washcloth prepared. "And it's a surprise you know."

"We've been together for how long and this surprises you?" Castle asked with a slight smile.

"Just in the fact you seem to get as much out of it as I do," Beckett replied. She laughed slightly when he nodded, a smirk on his face, and she pushed him slightly with her wet hand. "But thank you," she said as he made her turn so she was sitting straight.

"I'll reply to that after," Castle said, running the washcloth over her back. Instead of running water over her after he had finished, he instead ran his hand down her skin. He could feel her body tensing in response to him, knowing she was enjoying that. Only then; with her back clear of any soap; did he run water over her. He watched the trails of clear liquid sliding back down to the water, and he couldn't stop himself, leaning over and kissing from the back of her shoulder down as far as he could. Beckett's heavier breathing made him move to guide her to lean back against the back of the tub. He then let the washcloth drop to the floor; easily forgotten; and he leaned over, kissing her hard on the lips.

Still a little surprised that Castle wasn't joining her, Beckett decided to let him take things at the pace he wanted to go at. She was allowing him that luxury since he seemed to really want to have control. But she decided that another night, he would return the favor, whether he knew he was doing it or not. He pulled away from her then, and she felt his lips brushing down her chin and then to her neck, his tongue flicking right above her pulse. She had to wonder if he could feel it rapidly beating against her skin, but he slid down further to the hollow of her throat. She was reminded of the pendant there, as his lips went in a circle around it before he sat up and she was left with the remnant of his touch on her heated skin.

Cupping Beckett's cheek, Castle ran his thumb over her lower lip before he leaned over again, and kissed her. He tried his best then to take her attention, as he let his hand move down to her breasts. He wasn't too surprised when she jerked back at the touch, knowing she wasn't expecting it as she'd been too busy trying to respond to him. He took her lips back again, and as she ran her hands over his cheeks he let his hand slide lower on her body.

Almost expecting it, Beckett spread her legs a little more than they had already been, and was glad that he'd thought to lean her back as the first brush of his fingers against the apex of her legs sent a jolt of pleasure that shot straight through her body. She touched the back of his head as Castle was kissing and biting at her neck, and his fingers were moving in a slow circle under the water. Her breathing getting heavier and harder with each pass of his digits around her, she was a little tired of him being outside of the tub, so she reached down to his shirt, making him sit up a little, before she ripped it open. "I think it's time we went with what I was thinking," she told him as he paused briefly, but quickly went back to touching her incredibly intimately.

While he let Beckett finish getting his shirt off, Castle was busy kissing her where he could, usually on her shoulders and the hollow of her throat. But when she pulled back, he stood up though he didn't really want to stop, and shed the rest of his clothing before he joined her in the water. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, and he was tempted to take her; but he had plans and he wanted to make sure he stuck to them, though she was making it very hard for him to do that. So he reached in between their bodies as they kissed, and began to touch her again, moving his fingers in a slower, unhurried rhythm than he had before.

Letting out a sharp breath of air; though she had half expected him to continue when he wouldn't take her hint to slide inside of her; Beckett still felt the same sense of electricity in his touch. She let him get back to how he had been touching her before, and she moved slightly with his fingers as he widened the area he was stroking. She was soon almost panting for air, as his teasing was starting to get more and more on her nerves. But she knew it was what he was going to keep doing, so she decided to pay him back already.

Hissing out her name, Castle went rigid as she grasped his arousal in her hand. He swallowed a little hard as she began to move her hand, stroking slowly. He faltered slightly in his movements on her, but after a few seconds, he tried to get back to normal. He was just able to, and only once she had started to match his pace. He felt like stopping, to tease her further, but decided that he was doing enough of that. Instead he leaned down and bit lightly on the junction of her shoulder and collarbone, knowing that spot was one of her more sensitive ones, and that time was no exception.

Arching her back, Beckett nearly lost her grip on him, but managed to get back to pleasuring him in return as he didn't stop. She was shaking a little though, with every gentle nip at her neck, she was feeling a surge of pleasure that was already roaring through her. She reached up her free arm, and slung it around him, pulling him down to her so his chest was pressed against her breasts. With her breathing coming heavy and fast, she could feel every inch of her breasts rubbing against his moist skin, and she tilted his head up to hers before they kissed, and deeply. It was as they were doing this that she finally broke first, unable to stop herself as things were getting too intense for her self control. She held onto Castle tightly as he shuddered against her, pressing his face into the side of her head, feeling his groans and hearing them as well as he reached his own climax. The second he was done, she turned her head enough to press a kiss to the edge of his mouth.

Turning his head when he felt her, Castle kissed her a little frantically, moving so he was almost laying directly on top of her, the water moving against them and the sides of the tub in response before he moved down to her neck. He could feel her nails lightly dragging down his back before she clutched at his shoulders, and he shuddered when he could feel the cool band of silver on her finger. Moving back to look into her eyes, he saw they were still closed, so he hurriedly moved his hand up to caress her cheek with the back of his hand before letting it glide down her slick skin.

Quickly opening her eyes, Beckett said, "So that was your plan?"

"Well, without me joining you, yes, yes it was," Castle replied. He pulled back and stood bringing her with him.

"That was a good idea, but I think in the end both of us contributing was what made it a whole lot better," Beckett said as she wrapped a towel around herself.

"Of course," was all that Castle said in reply before he took her hand and led her back out into the room. He quickly turned on the fireplace before he turned to the bed, watching as Beckett was drying herself off with her towel that was no longer wrapped around her body.

"I'm not giving you a show," she quickly said. "I don't really want to freeze," she finished as she tossed her hair back over her shoulders and then dropped the towel to the floor. Climbing onto the bed, she waited for Castle to walk over to her, and once he had, she grabbed the towel he had around his waist, pulling him to her.

Before she could make him forget what he had in mind already for a second time, Castle quickly pulled Beckett's hand away from him as he climbed on the bed. He used his other hand to discard his towel, and then lay on top of her, that time making sure their hips were cradled firmly against each other.

Beckett found herself unable to respond to that as he was crushing her lips underneath his. She had no choice; and didn't want another option honestly; but to allow him to kiss her, responding eagerly to him though. After a few seconds, she could feel him shifting slightly against her and with a few hurried touches from both of them, he was inside of her and she tilted her head back in the sudden euphoria that wound through her body at such a simple action. From the way he had been acting before, she had expected things to continue very roughly, and braced herself for that. But when Castle merely began to move carefully, almost gently, she bit her lower lip; the motion no less pleasant at a slower speed. She hurried to match him after checking to make sure of the rhythm he was using, and kissed him hard on the side of his lips before he moved so they were kissing roughly.

Castle had wanted to take things a little easier that time, in a way he guessed that it was his subconscious urging him to show her his gratitude and relief at saying yes to his proposal. But he knew he just wanted to pleasure her, give her what he himself was feeling for her. It wasn't one sided though, he was getting a lot of enjoyment making love to her, the sensation of her body as it undulated in time with his own nearly making him lose control of how fast he was moving. But he allowed himself to go a little crazy elsewhere, soon having to control her as she lost her rhythm.

As he was biting at her shoulders and neck, Beckett didn't think it was too much of a surprise that she lost control of herself. She could feel Castle's hand on her hip, holding her to control her. She was breathing heavily as she clung to him tightly, feeling his mouth, his heavy breathing dampening her skin as he slid up to her lips. As he made her slow down against his hips, they kissed deeply, and she was soon fighting as his tongue slid into her mouth. But while he was sweeping around her mouth, she was a little submissive in that, until finally she pulled away, pressing her head back harder into the pillow that she was laying on. She watched as his head ducked down on her, pressing rapid kisses down her chest until he reached her breasts. His hand came up into play then, and she arched her back, allowing him to take her right nipple with his mouth as he cupped her left breast.

Feeling the way that Beckett was reacting, Castle wanted to reach down to her, to give her a little extra stimulation. He really had no reason for doing that, he knew he was giving her more than enough of that as he took her breasts with more than a little abandon, knowing from her cries that she was thoroughly enjoying it. But he wanted to feel her reactions to what he did to her. Since his free hand was a little busy though, he moved to kiss her as he finally was able to go down in between their bodies, amazing at the feel of her damp skin, which still felt like he was gliding his fingertips over silk.

Nearly panting at Castle's touch, Beckett slid her nails over his back in response to him rubbing against the bundle of nerves at the apex of her legs. She turned his head so his lips were close enough for her to brush against, which she did a few times, trying to draw him out. It worked easily, and he soon took her lower lip before it went into another kiss. She wrapped her right leg around him tightly then as they moved only a little faster at the same time in response to that. She nearly groaned as his next thrust let her feel she was taking him inside of her even further. She knew she wasn't going to be able to put up much of a fight as the pleasure built faster, and she cupped his face in her hands, looking into his eyes only a few seconds before she broke completely. Her rhythm was lost then, and he didn't try to correct it, his hips soon slamming into hers only a moment after she began to climax.

Having buried his face into Beckett's neck, Castle could feel the sweat on her skin and smell the scent of her as well. He stayed there for a while longer, enjoying the sensation as they had finally calmed down. Pulling back a little reluctantly, he looked at her and saw her eyes were closed, chest rising and falling slightly in time with her breath. "Kate," he said, a little surprised to feel a pang of arousal go through him so quickly. But it was impossible to try and resist since she looked incredibly erotic to him in that moment.

Opening her eyes at his whisper of her name, Beckett was a little startled when he suddenly bowed his head, and kissed her vehemently. She tried to keep up with him, but it took her a little longer since she had been so taken aback. She wasn't sure when exactly he had moved, but she went from lying down to sitting up, on her knees. A little dizzy at first from that change, she quickly got a hold of herself, and pulled away from their kiss. She stroked his cheeks as he tried to lean up slightly to kiss her again, but she kept him from her lips. "Are you relinquishing to me?" she asked. She couldn't help but smile as he nodded hurriedly, and she allowed him to close the gap between them. As they kissed yet again; and far deeper than before; she began to move her legs.

Though he had insinuated he was giving control to her, Castle couldn't really keep with that for long. And once they had their pace set; a lot rougher; he slid his hands down her back, soon cupping her ass in his hands and moving her harder against him. He leaned against her, his cheek against her shoulder as he guided her, so he was able to get deeper in her. He sped up as her fingers were suddenly gripping him almost painfully. He pulled back and looked up at her, wanting to kiss her badly, but she did something else instead.

Bending her head, Beckett didn't allow him to get anywhere near her lips, instead she bit lightly on his ear lobe, before going to the edge of skin at the top of his ear. That was one of his more sensitive spots, and she felt him grabbing at her almost in desperation. A sense of triumph filled her when he almost tried to move them, but she was able to stay in place, squeezing her legs together. His groan exploded on her neck, and she hurriedly moved to his mouth to keep him from getting too out of control. She kissed him, then his chin before she slid her lips over his cheeks slowly. She could tell it was too much for him, the way his fingers were pressing, easing and then grasping at her again. She moved her head and finally kissed him, feeling him grabbing her right hand off of his cheek which she was cupping.

Castle hurriedly pulled Beckett's hand down with him in between their bodies, making her soon touch herself at his direction. He seemed to remember that they had talked about something concerning control, but it wasn't really registering. He didn't care either, wanting to just let that moment go on and on. Their bodies coupled together and moving in a matched rhythm that was accompanied constantly by the pleasure that was marring the edges of his consciousness. The way her fingers were faltering on herself, he could tell that she was going through the same thing that he himself was; enjoying every minute of it still.

Their kisses were getting to be more frantic and hastily done as Castle and Beckett threw out any kind of steady pace, touching one another where they could, feeling as their skin slid against one another. They held on for a good while longer, until it became too much and they crested a final wave of their building ecstasy.

Holding on to Castle tightly as he breathed roughly against her lips, Beckett was trying not to collapse as she followed him. As they both began to calm down, she kissed his lips lightly, and let her head rest on his shoulder. "You didn't listen to me at the start," she teased him when she felt her voice would be steady enough to convey words.

"I did, but that got lost along the line," Castle said simply, running his hand over her hair. "Not that it hurt really, I think you enjoyed it."

"Maybe," was all that Beckett would say as she moved away from him and laid down on the bed. As he followed her, she reached up and pulled him down to her lips, kissing him hard as he was half on top of her from her hold. She ran her hands up and down his back a little lazily when they stopped, and he pressed his forehead to hers. She was a little startled to feel; again; the weight of her ring, and she pulled back a little from him, laying her head back all the way on a pillow under her.

Watching her, Castle could see she was thinking something through in her mind, and he leaned down, brushing his lips to hers. "Anything I need to worry about?" he asked as she looked at him.

"No, just, something I keep getting reminded of," Beckett said, placing her left hand on his chest. "Not in a bad way."

"I was hoping," Castle said simply. He then said, "That was an interesting way to celebrate."

"I didn't realize that's what we were doing," Beckett said with a slight smile before she sighed. "But you're right, it was."

"Are we continuing or holding off finishing until another night?" Castle asked, not sure if he was quite ready to stop yet.

"Do you want to really schedule that out," Beckett asked, looking at him in slight confusion.

"No, I'm just not sure how to read you right now," Castle said.

Beckett smiled a little at that; since he did look genuinely concerned; and pulled him down to her lips before she made him turn over onto his back. "Let's see where this goes…" she said simply when they had pulled apart to breathe. With that said, she leaned down, and kissed him again, feeling him grab her tightly as his hands slid down her back, the sound almost like a ricochet in the silent room.

Though they spent a good amount of time kissing and caressing each other, eventually as the time inched into the twenty-sixth, Castle was the only one awake, behind Beckett as he held her against him. He could hear her breathing heavily, and he had his arm around her, carefully rubbing the middle diamond of her ring, feeling the faceted surface under his fingertip. Looking at her, he leaned over and kissed her shoulder, feeling her sigh softly before she turned over, looking at him.

"I guess we weren't finished," Beckett said simply, her heart starting to beat frantically as she pulled him on top of her.

"Not yet," Castle said before he took her lips with his.

Beckett held onto him tightly as he seemed to be content with just kissing her. She was a little taken aback, thinking his waking her up meant yet another bout of making love and she hadn't minded that. But as he slid down her body, to her gasps for air, she found she didn't mind those actions either.

Pleasuring Beckett then, Castle was a little startled when she stopped him after only a minute; if even that long. He sat up as she did so as well, and kissed her passionately as she reached in between them, to gently grasp his erection. "If… you… want-" he started to say as she kissed him lightly as they regained their breath.

"No, I think, since you woke me up, I might direct this at the very least," Beckett said simply. She lay back and drew him down on her again as he hurried to slide inside of her body yet again. She held onto him, and raised her right leg again, but that time let him take it, holding it up high on his side. As they began to move together, she realized that time would likely be a lot rougher, and she welcomed it gratefully as she realized her rising excitement meant her desire had not been sated before.

In the same situation as her, Castle moved harder and as deep inside of her as he could. Things started to become a blur as he explored her body, and they kissed while their hands were touching everywhere they could. When they had finally reached the height of their pleasure and could take no more, he kissed her hungrily, unwilling to finish the night off by going to sleep just yet. When he knew they both needed to breathe badly, he moved so they could lie on their sides again, and with him pressed up close behind her he whispered into her ear a slightly husky, "I love you."

One hand clasped on Castle's which was holding lightly to her abdomen; Beckett smiled at that as his lips nuzzled her neck. "I love you Castle," she said back to him, looking over her shoulder as he brushed a kiss to her lips. She then entwined their fingers together; knowing he was taking her left hand to feel that the ring was actually there as her action was for the same purpose; and allowed the exhaustion that had receded long enough for them to make love to take over as they pressed close to one another; not ready to let go of their intimacy just yet.


	7. Whispers Of A Joy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone's wondering about the ring I have for Beckett from the last chapter, it's a real ring that I found at Tiffany's site, but if you want a quicker way to see it I would search 'Tiffany's Round Brilliant With Pear-shaped Side Stones' in any search engine and it should be the first picture there.
> 
> The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Breath Away from Heaven by George Harrison, from his album Cloud Nine.

Feeling a sudden chill creeping over her skin, Beckett groaned slightly in protest, and turned as she opened her eyes. "You don't need to leave," she told Castle as he set the covers back down over her.

"I wanted to," he replied simply as he leaned over and kissed her on the lips quickly. "I planned on talking to Julia."

"What time is it?" Beckett asked, trying to look over at the clock on the other nightstand but feeling too tired to sit up.

"Nine-thirty," Castle said, pausing as he was getting dressed to check the time. "So she should be up at least." When Beckett only gave a groan in response he said, "Are you that tired?"

"Pretty much," Beckett sighed, looking at him. "And I don't get as many chances to sleep in as I used to, so I'm taking the opportunity." He walked to the door and she called out, "Good luck."

"I've got some ideas in mind, what to tell her," Castle said as he stopped at the door.

"I'm not surprised," Beckett said. "Go, tell her I'll come see her once I'm up."

Nodding, though she wasn't looking at him, Castle left the room and walked downstairs, since he could hear Alexis laughing. He saw that she was with Martha and Julia in the kitchen and he headed over to them, smiling slightly as Beckett's daughter was bouncing up and down on her knees at one of the island chairs.

"Good morning," Martha said as she was the first to see him. "Beckett isn't up yet?"

"She wants to sleep in," Castle said simply. "She told me to tell you that she'll come see you when she's up," he told the little girl.

"Kay," Julia said with a slight smile.

"Did you eat breakfast yet?" Castle then asked.

"We just finished," Alexis told him, rinsing a bowl in the sink. "We just had cereal since we wanted to take it easy this morning."

"Good idea," Castle said. "Julia," he said to get her attention. When she was looking at him he said, "I wanted to take a look at your trunk again, with the costumes. Is it okay for me to do that?" When she nodded he then asked, "Will you come look with me?"

"Why?" Julia whispered.

"I wanted to look with you, they are your costumes now," Castle said.

Looking at Alexis and Martha who were watching her, Julia blushed and then said, "Kay." Alexis put her down on the ground and she took Castle's outstretched hand before following him to the stairs. "I can go," she said quickly when he tried to pick her up.

Relieved; since he could tell that she had refused his help because she wanted to do it herself; Castle watched her as they headed up together, making sure she didn't run or fall. He thought it a little amusing, remembering Beckett had said the night before that he was basically her father already; he felt like it at that moment. He let her lead the way into her room, and sat down on the armchair he'd placed the chest next to the day before.

"What do you want to see?" Julia asked.

"Well, I don't think I could really try on those dresses," Castle said after he'd opened the lid for her. "Plus if your mom came in I think I'd have to explain why I was trying on clothes way too small for me. So why don't we look at your hats? You have a lot of them and some of them look like they'd be fun to wear."

Julia nodded, and then looked through the costumes, as the hats that Martha had put in there for her were mixed with the clothing. She pulled out a straw boater and shook her head when Castle tried to take it. "That's not a good one," she said firmly, rooting around for hats again.

"Why not?" Castle asked in surprise. When she didn't reply he watched her until she stood up straight, holding two hats in her hand.

"This one," Julia said, giving him a bowler hat. "And this one for me," she said, putting on the newsboy cap.

"Thank you," Castle said, holding the bowler until Julia went to him and climbed up on his lap. He laughed shortly when she firmly put it on his head and said, "Why do you want me wearing this one?"

"'Cause you look like Paul with it," Julia said, studying him and nodding. "Oh! I remembered!" she suddenly said, starting to climb down from his lap.

"Wait," Castle said quickly, grabbing her before she could slip. He helped her down and watched as she went to the nightstand next to the bed, picking up one of the two matryoshka dolls there. "I'm glad to see you liked that one," he told her; since he'd given it to her. "What did you remember?"

"I wanted to look at it with you, 'cause you said you didn't peek inside," Julia said, trying to climb up on his lap. When she was settled she squealed a little as he pulled the hat down over her eyes and she said in protest, "I can't see the doll now."

"Sorry," Castle said quickly as she giggled shyly. "Do you want to open it?" he asked as he looked over her shoulder, fixing her hat.

"No, you do it," Julia said, handing him the doll that had Paul McCartney holding his Hofner bass on it. She watched as he did so, taking out the smaller doll and she saw that it was of the singer at a younger age. "Do they all look like this?" she asked Castle, looking up at him as she helped him take the smaller doll out and held the larger one for him.

"You mean get smaller?" Castle asked. When Julia nodded to that he said, "Let's keep looking," as he opened the doll. He went through the last two, and when he finished, they were both holding the five dolls in between them, which had Paul older to younger. "I think," he said, holding the fourth doll; the fifth just having the Hofner painted on it. "This is when he was fourteen or fifteen."

"Yeah, that's when he met John," Julia said matter of factly. "At the fete that Paul went, he saw John playing with his band."

"Really, what was the band's name?" Castle asked, a little startled that she knew that much.

"The Quarry Men," Julia said in the same tone of voice as before, but with a wide smile on her face.

Realizing that he could begin to try talking to her with that; the idea coming to him suddenly; Castle quickly said, "You know a lot about The Beatles, more than I did at your age definitely."

"Is that bad?" Julia asked, looking at the biggest of the dolls.

"No, but I'm wondering, do you know a lot about Paul?" Castle asked.

"Yeah, he plays with this hand," Julia said quickly with a smile, waving her left hand. "His daddy gave him a trumpet but he liked guitar 'cause he can sing when he plays it."

"Then you must know he married Linda right?" Castle said.

"She was a photographer," Julia said proudly as she was able to pronounce the word without making a mistake.

"She was, and did you know she had a daughter already, before she met Paul?" Castle then said carefully.

"Uh-huh, Heather," Julia said. "Paul wasn't her daddy first, but he was hers like he was for her little sisters and brother."

"Do you know what Paul did when he and Linda got married? For Heather?" Castle asked, wondering what her reaction would be. The little girl shook her head, and he said carefully, "He adopted Heather, so she was his daughter like his other four girls he has."

Julia was quiet, thinking about that, and she soon said, "Like you want to adopt me?"

"That's right," Castle said, surprised slightly that she wasn't tensing or trying to get away from him. "I just want you to understand that whenever your mom and I get married, I'm adopting you because I want us to be a family."

Giggling at that Julia said softly, "But I'm not like Alexis is," sobering up quickly.

"No, but I'm not just adopting you because I'm going to marry your mom," Castle reminded her. "I really want to be your dad too."

"But why?" Julia asked.

"Because I love your mom and you, and your mom loves you too," Castle said, glad to see a smile on Julia's face at that. "And I want you to have a dad. But it's your mom's decision if that's me."

"I hope it is," Julia whispered. She smiled shyly as Castle hugged her tightly and she said, "So when you are my daddy, I don't have to leave Mommy?"

"No," Castle assured her. "You'll be with us, because we'll be your parents, understand?" Julia nodded and then he told her, "You know that Alexis will be your sister."

"She will?" Julia asked, her eyes wide at that.

"Yes, and my mother will be your grandmother," Castle explained. "They're really excited for that you know."

"I don't," Julia said in awe.

"Well now you do," Castle chuckled slightly. He was going to say more when she hugged him tightly and he held her close. "What do you say, later on today, me and you go outside, and we'll make a snow hill so you can slide down?" he asked her as he had to wait for the lump of emotion in his throat to abate enough to speak.

"A slide?" Julia asked interestedly.

"It'll be fun," Castle said. "But, we'll need to ask your mom if that's okay."

"That will depend on how tall this hill is Castle," Beckett said as she walked inside the room then. She smiled as Julia climbed off his lap; with Castle's help; and ran to her. She picked up her daughter and hugged her tightly, giving a nod to him. She had heard most of their conversation, beginning when he had been asking Julia about Paul McCartney's oldest daughter.

"It won't be too tall," Castle said, standing up as Beckett shifted Julia to her hip. "If it was Disneyland she'd be tall enough to go on it."

"Great, what about skating?" Beckett asked.

"I'll check," Castle said, starting to take his phone out of his pocket. He was a little surprised when Beckett flicked at the brim of the bowler hat with her finger and he looked at her.

"Any reason for the hats?" she asked him.

"He wanted to look at them Mommy," Julia answered.

"She game me this one because according to her I look like Paul," Castle said, a little surprised when Beckett then grabbed his chin and turned his head from side to side.

"I can see it, a younger Paul," she told him, smiling slightly. "But your eyes kind of throw that off."

"Ringo?" they suddenly said at the same time.

"I don't think so," Julia said, having been listening to them.

"Then that's good enough for me," Castle said, taking off the hat and running his fingers through his hair quickly.

Beckett took the hat that Julia was wearing off of her, and carried her downstairs, back to the kitchen. They passed Alexis who was in the family room, reading, and she held back her daughter trying to get down. "Stay with us," she said as she set Julia on the chair at the island. "We'll play something once I eat okay?" she told her.

"Kay, where did Castle go?" Julia asked, looking around.

"Right here," he said. "I just called the city, apparently the pond melted some yesterday with the one or two degree raise in temperature, so it's closed off."

"Too bad, but don't worry sweetie," Beckett told her daughter who looked disappointed. "We can go out and play in the snow instead alright?"

"You know, the snow being a little softer, we could maybe freeze it into ice since it's getting colder again," Castle mused as he started some coffee brewing.

"Ice? Do you want to send Julia to the hospital?" Beckett asked, slightly incredulously.

"What, it'll be fun, she could fly off the hill," Castle said.

"No ice," Beckett said firmly. "Unless you have a helmet for her to wear."

"A hat?" Castle asked sheepishly, making Julia's laughter trill through the room, joined by Alexis'.

"I can't see your face Dad," Alexis said behind him. "But the way your shoulders are hunched I can only imagine the expression you have right now."

"She's right, stop that or your face will freeze that way," Beckett said, hitting his shoulder lightly. "You'll scare her," she said, nodding to Julia who was giggling softly at their exchange.

"Sorry," Castle said quickly, straightening up. "So after we eat, can we play?"

"Why are you asking me?" Beckett asked, giving him a look as she went to the fridge.

"Then can Julia come out to play?" Castle asked.

"Yes," Beckett said, shaking her head. "But she'll be bundled up. And no ice."

"No, of course not," Castle said. He leaned over to Julia then and whispered; loudly; to her, "I'll make sure you still go fast on the hill I'll make for you."

"Can I help?" Julia asked, smiling as her mother pushed at his back slightly.

"Sure, I'll need it," Castle said exaggeratedly.

"Are you hungry still sweetie?" Beckett asked as he went to get their coffees. "I think we can split this up four ways," she said as she looked at the chocolate chip muffin she had brought out.

"But I wanna go outside," Julia whined a little bit, though she was looking on in interest as her mother cut up the muffin.

"Sounds like she has cabin fever," Alexis said. "Thanks," she told Beckett as she handed her a piece.

"It does," Castle said, sharing a look with Beckett. He knew she was glad to hear that about her daughter; and he was as well he realized.

"Are you gonna come out to play with me?" Julia asked Alexis as she started to walk back to the family room.

"I will, just let me know when you're going outside," Alexis said.

"Eat sweetie," Beckett told her daughter gently as she sat next to her. "Actually," she then said to Castle as he handed her a mug. "I need to talk to her, I almost forgot."

"About what Mommy?" Julia asked, looking up at them.

"She might be okay now," Castle said, handing her a napkin.

"Are you still worried about what we told you last night?" Beckett asked, taking the napkin Julia had and gently wiping away the chocolate on her mouth.

"No, I stay with you," Julia said slowly, as if to give them time to correct her. "And Castle will be my daddy." When they both nodded she quickly continued saying, "And Alexis is my sister and Martha my grand…" she paused, unsure how to finish that.

"You can figure that out later," Beckett told her. "But you're right."

"Castle told me," Julia said. "And he said he loves you Mommy, so that's good."

"It is," Beckett said, unable to help smiling at Julia's very precise tone of voice. She glanced back at Castle as he squeezed her arm, and said to her daughter, "I'm just glad you're not scared."

"I'm happy," Julia said simply. "'Cause you are too Mommy."

"I am," Beckett assured her, as she saw Julia was trying to see if she really was. She ran her hand over her daughter's hair as she ate, and was a lot more relieved after the events of the night before. She glanced down at her hand, and then smiled at Julia as the little girl looked up at her, and she could see what her daughter had said was the truth.

* * *

"Think we should have another snowball fight?" Castle asked as he followed Beckett and Alexis down the stairs into the backyard.

"Probably not, as good as Julia is, it's still a little lopsided," Beckett said, looking back at him and Julia who were walking together.

"We're gonna make the hill Mommy," Julia said happily.

"Go ahead," Beckett told them before they went ahead of her with Alexis.

"So the trick is to get a hill with a good angle so it's like you're on a slide at a playground," Castle said as he and Alexis began to push together some of the snow.

"But it's snow," Julia said.

"Right, so you'll slide a lot faster than at the playground," Alexis said. "Remember when I was six?" she directed to her father.

"No, what happened that year?" Castle asked.

Rolling her eyes, Alexis said to Beckett; who had started to help them; "He made a hill that he decided to melt a little so it turned into ice."

"You didn't get hurt did you?" Beckett asked quickly.

"No, but I slid about ten, twenty feet in front of it before I stopped," Alexis said.

"It was not that far," Castle said. When his daughter just looked at him he said, "Okay, maybe it was far, but I recall you screaming in joy, not terror."

"I think you're testing out this hill first," Beckett said as Alexis laughed, shaking her head.

"You don't think you should," Castle asked jokingly.

Beckett didn't reply to that, only tossed some of the snow in her hand at him, smiling as Julia squealed as some got on her. She was about to tell her daughter to come over to her to help her, when Castle suddenly grabbed her.

"Wait, you're not snow," he said as he pretended he was trying to put Julia on the snow.

"No, I'm helping," Julia said, beaming widely. She giggled and said, "You thought I was the snow?"

"A little bit," Castle said before he handed her over to Beckett. When they had a tall enough hill he smoothed out an angle, being careful not to make it too steep as he'd done in years past when it was just him and Alexis. "Alright, I think she's ready to go," he finally said as the other three were watching him. "Am I still testing it?"

"Go Dad," Alexis said, Julia nodding her head quickly.

Castle easily went up to the top, since they'd made notches in the snow for that, and pushed himself down, sliding until he almost hit his daughter and fiancée if they hadn't run out of the way. "Okay, now she's ready," he said, laughing as Alexis and then Beckett tossed snow at him.

"I wanna go, can I go?" Julia asked her mother excitedly.

"Hold on," Beckett said. She brushed the snow off her gloves and picked up her daughter, taking her to the top of the hill. They slid down, and was glad to hear her daughter's shriek at the thrill of going down. She wasn't too surprised when Julia immediately asked to go again, and said, "Why don't you wait for Alexis to try, she hasn't had a turn yet."

"She can come with me," the young woman said. She smiled as Julia ran to her and jumped into her arms. She carried her to the hill, seeing her dad pulling Beckett to the front of it. "Are we bowling?" she called to them.

"I guess," Beckett said, trying to fight the smirk on her face and just managing to suppress it. She waited for Alexis and Julia to go down the hill before she stepped out of the way, leaving Castle to scramble out of the way and slip in the snow.

"I forgot your sense of humor gets wonky sometimes," he called to Beckett as he got up, dusting off his clothes.

"Thank you, but it's fun for me when that happens," Beckett said before her daughter ran to Castle.

For a while, Julia would make one of them take her up on the hill until they persuaded her to try and go down herself. She was a little nervous, but when her mother and Castle assured her they would catch her she went down, a high squeal following her as she went. Giggling as Castle picked her up she said, "That was fun!"

"It looks like it," a voice called from the house. Martha smiled as the four watched her and she said, "I came to watch for a while."

"A little while," Beckett said then. "It's getting colder."

"And looks like we might have some snow again," Castle said, looking up at the sky. "What do you want to do now?" he asked Julia.

"Can we play a snowball fight?" she asked, a little pleadingly.

"Why don't you practice a little," Castle suggested. "That way when we get some more snow, you'll be able to hit your mom… or Alexis."

"And why not you?" Beckett asked.

"I'm keeping her on my team," Castle said jokingly as Julia shook her head. "No?"

"I want to be on my mommy's team, and Alexis'," Julia said simply. She started to wriggle out of his hold and said, "I wanna practice."

Going over to help Castle make snowballs for her daughter, Beckett watched with a smile as he helped her aim for a rock that he had found and put on the hill for her. She again felt relief that Julia had gone back to normal so fast, but it reminded her of something she wanted to do still. She glanced at Alexis and then Martha, smiling again when she heard their encouragements for Julia as she took aim at the rock again.

* * *

Coming downstairs from where she had set Julia for a nap after lunch; though the little girl was merely resting as she and her daughter had agreed on; Beckett walked to the family room, and saw that Alexis was in there by herself, reading again. She went inside, and cleared her throat slightly to get the young woman's attention.

"My dad's in his office," Alexis said, looking up.

"I actually-" Beckett started to say, sitting down on one of the armchairs in the room.

"You want to ask me if I'm alright with you and my dad being engaged," Alexis said simply, interrupting her. "If I'm okay with you becoming my stepmother once you get married."

"Basically, I wasn't going to go around the question if you thought I had that in mind," Beckett said, not surprised she had picked up on the reason she was there.

"I'm okay with it, I didn't lie last night when you told us," Alexis said. "And I'm happy for you, for my dad especially," she then said, turning so she was sitting up on the edge of the couch. "You're a lot different from most of the other women he's dated. And he's happy, not just 'happy for the time being', when he's with you. And Julia."

"So you don't mind her becoming your little sister," Beckett stated though she couldn't help smiling slightly at Alexis' words in a sense of relief.

"Oh no, I can't wait for that actually. I love Julia, and I've always wanted a little brother or sister," Alexis answered. "And for it to be her is going to be great, she's like my sister already. You know when you brought her to Columbia some of my friends asked if we weren't sisters already, we acted as if we were."

"I know, your dad mentioned that to me," Beckett said. "But I didn't doubt you last night," she then said after a pause. "I just wanted to make sure."

"No, I get it," Alexis said. "And thank you for asking me, instead of just leaving it unasked, I appreciate it."

"Now I just want to talk with Martha, though I know," Beckett said quickly, holding up her hand when Alexis started to speak. "Her reaction is probably going to be the same. I just want to make sure."

"Make sure of what?" Martha asked, walking inside then. "I was coming down the hall and heard my name, so I thought I would see what was going on."

"She's wondering if we're really okay with her and Dad getting engaged," Alexis said. "Oh, and about Dad adopting Julia."

"We are, we are," Martha said in a slightly sing-song way as she sat next to her granddaughter. "I was hoping that Richard would ask. In fact, I almost thought he would propose at Thanksgiving when he took you up to the roof."

"It wasn't the right moment," Castle said, walking in then. "Sorry, wanted to join the meeting we're having here," he said as he went to Beckett.

"Aren't you supposed to be writing?" Alexis asked.

"Not supposed to," Castle corrected. "I was going to try and see if I could. And then I realized I wanted to talk to you," he said to Beckett.

"Then before you go," Martha said quickly. "We're delighted with the thought of Julia joining the family as well."

"I'm glad to hear that," Beckett said with a smile before she stood up and then followed Castle back to his office. "So what is it?" she asked him. "Need my help writing again?"

"No, I wanted you to see something I found," Castle said, taking her by the elbow and leading her over to where his laptop was.

"Julia," Beckett said, not really surprised as her daughter came out from where she was hiding. "So I guess you're done resting?" she asked.

"Yeah," Julia said, holding her arms up to her mother. She giggled when Beckett picked her up and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "I'm sorry Mommy, but I'm not sleepy," she said, pronouncing the words firmly.

"Of course not," Beckett said. "But I hope you rested for a little at least."

"I don't think so," Castle said. He smiled when Julia pouted at him and said, "Hate to be a snitch, but she ran down here pretty much as soon as you got downstairs."

"What was she doing while you were writing?" Beckett asked as she set Julia down. She watched her daughter run out of the room and called to her, "Stay with Alexis sweetie," before she turned back to Castle.

"We were just looking at some websites on the internet," Castle said. "Game sites for her tablet, and Paul's official site."

Nodding, Beckett turned, intending to leave him in case he wasn't finished writing, but paused and then said as she looked back at him, "There's something I've been wanting to ask you since last night."

"Shoot," Castle said.

"When exactly did you buy this?" Beckett asked, holding up her left hand.

Taking a deep breath, Castle said, "The first Friday in November."

Beckett smiled slightly at that and said, "I would have been surprised if you said you bought it last week."

"It wasn't that I was debating if I wanted to propose; I wouldn't have bought the ring if I wasn't sure," Castle began.

Holding up her hand, Beckett said, "You just wanted to find the right time to ask."

"Yes," Castle said in relief. "I was almost going to ask at Thanksgiving, but it just didn't seem right to me. Or as romantic as Christmas was going to be."

"What made you decide?" Beckett then asked after they were quiet for a moment.

"Do you remember Halloween?" Castle asked. After she nodded he then said, "I thought back after that night for a few days, how much fun it was with Julia and you. The time we spent together. And then I thought, what would happen if you and I broke up because we were keeping ourselves from going forward or some other reason. I didn't want to lose the relationship that I had with you, and not lose what I had with Julia either. It was too big of a risk; losing you both in my life; and not something I liked thinking about either."

Beckett was quiet then, unable to reply as she looked down her ring, realizing how much it meant. Not just Castle wanting to continue their relationship much further, but the fact that since August they were well on the way to becoming a family. His proposal was making everything more concrete. She wasn't sure what exactly she could say; though she thought her saying yes was enough for him to know that she felt the same way; so she closed the gap between them, kissing him slowly on the lips.

Holding on to Beckett's arms, Castle let that kiss continue until she pulled away before he held her tightly to him. He glanced over her shoulder, and saw Julia skid to a halt in the doorway before she slipped to the floor. "Julia," he said worriedly as she looked a little shocked.

"Sweetie, were you running?" Beckett asked, turning around and seeing her daughter. She hurried over to her as Castle followed and picked her up.

"I fell," Julia said, her eyes wide.

"Did she hit her head?" Beckett asked Castle.

"No, she's okay," he said quickly. "You just got surprised though, right?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry," Julia said. "Oh, I fell because Alexis asked a question but I didn't know the answer. But you do Mommy."

"So you came to get me?" Beckett said with a smile. When her daughter nodded she started to leave when Castle spoke.

"I'll throw dinner together," he said as he followed her into the hall.

"Throw leftovers onto the counter you mean?" Beckett asked. She was going to head over to the family room when Julia stopped her.

"I wanna go with you," the little girl said, holding her arms out to Castle.

"Okay," he said easily. "That way you can help me," he told her as he walked down to the kitchen. "And you can tell everyone when dinner's ready; just don't run."

"I won't," Julia giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Watching them walking down the hall, Beckett smiled slightly and then turned in the opposite direction. But she walked slowly, thinking about what Castle had said, about why he had wanted to propose to her. That made her recognize something that she had not really allowed herself to think about until that moment.

Beckett had been wondering if she would have allowed herself to continue in her relationship with Castle if she had not adopted Julia. She enjoyed being with him, but as she had mentioned to him the night before, they never really talked seriously about themselves and where they wanted things to go between them. She knew part of that was because of her inability to really face her emotions and feelings, a remnant of losing her mother. She had done that with other relationships, any real signs of it becoming serious, or the need to talk about it, and she had broken things off, citing her work usually as the reason. But things had been very different with Castle, and she had known that she couldn't really do the same thing with him as time went on.

When she had adopted Julia, Beckett knew she couldn't hide behind her job, or use the excuse of a wall to not love her daughter and be a mother to her. It had been a struggle since she had been that way for so many years, and to suddenly have to change how she was became one of the things she learned along with raising a child. Beckett had noticed that things had also changed with Castle, and it wasn't just because they'd had to work through what had happened in Queens. She was allowing herself to be more expressive with her emotions as she loved Julia without constraint, and that extended to him, since she had known from the beginning she wanted him to be a father to her daughter. She sighed deeply then as she turned back to look towards the kitchen, smiling as Julia carried a plate, Castle walking behind her and helping her walk to the oven. Glancing down at her ring, she realized the extent of how much she had changed, and found herself not really minding that fact at all. Turning back to the family room, she walked to the doorway, and nearly ran into Alexis.

"Sorry, I was just checking to see if Julia went to ask you something for me," the young woman said as she and Beckett abruptly stopped.

"She was coming to get me," Beckett replied with a slight smile. "Before she volunteered to help your dad get dinner ready. What was it you wanted to ask?"

"This place I found," Alexis said, glancing down the hall and seeing Castle and Julia talking together in the kitchen. "I'm wondering if you've ever been there."

Taking the travel book which she had given to Castle's daughter the day before as a gift, Beckett looked at the page that Alexis was pointing to and smiled saying, "Fisherman's Wharf? One of the first places I went to actually, when I visited San Francisco. Let's sit down, I can tell you about some of the really good places to visit when you're over there."

"So is it more of a tourist place, or do you think I might enjoy it?" Alexis asked.

"I think you'll enjoy it," Beckett said, sitting down. "But I would stick with two places, Pier 39 and Ghirardelli Square. The first for the sea lions, the second for the shopping and probably the best chocolate in the state."

"I've heard about them both," Alexis said. "From Diana, she's promising to take me to the Pier. And she said something about clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl?"

Smiling nostalgically at that, Beckett said, "I was a little unsure of that when my friends took me for dinner, but it's a great meal, you might like it. Another place you might want to check out is Golden Gate Park."

"I saw the Japanese Tea Garden, Conservatory of Flowers, and a bunch of really interesting looking museums," Alexis said. "There is so much in this book, I'm just hoping I can see the more fascinating things in the short amount of time that I have."

"You'll be luckier than I was," Beckett said, leaning back against the couch. "It was a forty minute drive for me, worse when you include the traffic. You'll have the BART and ferries though, to take you right in if you don't have a car."

"I plan on using those," Alexis said. "And I wanted to say thank you so much for this book again, it's amazing."

"I know, I thought you should have a travel book," Beckett began before she glanced at the doorway. "And I thought your dad might not give you one."

Alexis smiled at that and said, "I told him he's going to visit me."

"Me as well, I am looking forward to San Francisco," Martha said, having been listening to their conversation. "There are a few pages on Napa Valley, I may suggest to my friends over there that we should take a tour."

"That would be fun, I've heard that part of the state is stunning," Beckett said with a smile. "And there are some places you and your dad can go to when he's there," she then said to Alexis. "He's going for Spring Break for sure?"

"Great timing," Castle said, coming into the room after Julia had run in. "I wanted to talk to you about that."

"What about it?" Beckett asked as he was talking to her.

"Julia's Spring Break starts the twenty-fourth of March right?" Castle asked, sitting next to her as Julia leaned against her mother's legs.

"Yes, it's the same week as Alexis'," Beckett said, getting an idea then of what he was going to say.

"Then if Alexis doesn't mind," Castle said, looking at his daughter. "I'd like to invite you and Julia to come with us to San Francisco that week."

"I don't mind," Alexis said. "And it should be fun for Julia; she's never been on a plane before has she?"

"No, why do I need to go on a plane?" Julia asked.

"Because San Francisco is in another state," Beckett told her, running her hand over her hair. "In California, I'll show you a map later, but that's where I went to college."

"And can we go?" Julia then said eagerly.

"I think so," Beckett said. "It will be fun to head back to the city," she said to Castle. "And visit some of the places that I went to back then, see how much things have changed."

"Great, I'll look into tickets later on, that way we can fly together," Castle said. "So," he then directed to Alexis. "I'm hoping by March you'll have some really great places to show us. And does that travel book have hotels?"

"It does, a lot of different neighborhoods in the city though," Alexis said as she flipped to the back of the book. "Good luck choosing."

Julia, hopping up and down a little, couldn't take it anymore and climbed up onto the couch next to Castle, slipping under his arm to sit on his lap, blocking his view of the book.

"Do you want to look at this?" he asked, slight laughter in his voice at her action.

"I want to see San Francisco," Julia said, going a little slowly with Francisco.

"Alright, but why don't we wait until you head to bed," Castle said. "And we'll take a look at some places your mom tells us about."

"We don't look now?" Julia asked plaintively.

"No, dinner's ready for us," Castle said simply. "Aren't you hungry? You were telling me about how you wanted to eat a turkey wing."

"Not a wing, a leg," Julia giggled as Castle set down the book. She squealed when he stood up, taking her with him, and she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling at her mother who followed them.

Eating that time at the kitchen table, the conversation stayed with the visit to San Francisco, mingled with questions about the five classes Alexis had to sign up for while she was attending Berkley.

"So we'll have to check out the campus," Castle said after Alexis had told them about the professor of a biology class she was thinking about signing up for; who had written a series of books about the marine biology of California. "One day while we're there."

"I'm really excited," Alexis said. "It'll be a great trip. I can show you around the school, and then I'll have the chance to explore the city with you."

"You'll be able to visit before we get there," Martha said. "And see where the best shopping is as well."

"I didn't really shop that much," Beckett said with a slight laugh as Martha and Alexis looked at her. "But I think your best bet is going to be around Union Square. Great part about that is it's within walking distance of Chinatown."

"That'll be great too," Alexis said. "I looked at the pages about it in the book, the pictures they have look amazing."

"How are the streets?" Castle asked Beckett suddenly.

"It depends where you are, not all of them are as steep as Lombard," she answered quickly. "But there are some I was terrified driving up and down."

"What is Lombard?" Julia asked, having been quiet up until that point, listening to the others.

"It's called the crooked-est street in the world," Castle said. "That's one thing we'll need to look at later in the book. But you can drive down it, and it's so steep it goes back and forth like this," he said, gesturing with his hand.

"Can we go there?" Julia asked eagerly.

"We'll try," Beckett said simply. "But it's a big city, so it would probably be best to make a list of things. I think we should leave that to you Alexis, since essentially you'll be our guide by then."

"I'll do my best," Alexis said, smiling as Julia had climbed off her chair and had run out of the room.

"Sweetie," Beckett called. She could hear her daughter stop; in the family room she guessed; and then run back towards them, holding the book. "Later," she said gently as Julia handed the book to her. "Right now we need to clean up and then decide what we're going to do."

"What's that?" Julia asked eagerly.

"Play a game or watch a movie I hope," Castle said.

"Can I watch another movie?" Julia asked eagerly.

"We'll watch a movie," Beckett corrected. "And we'll all need to agree on it."

"Kay, can I help?" Julia asked as Alexis and Castle stood up to begin clearing the table.

"Yes, but be careful," Beckett said. But before she let her daughter go, so shared a quick kiss with her before handing her the glass she had used. "Give that to Castle or Alexis," she told her. "Let me take that for you Martha," she said quickly as she took her plate.

"I think," Martha said; after thanking Beckett. "We should watch one of your movies Julia."

"But Mommy said we all choose," Julia said, though she sounded hopeful.

"Why don't you go with your mom and Gram and pick one?" Alexis told her. "And when my dad and I come in we'll see if we all want to watch it." After the three had left she turned to her dad and asked, "How are you feeling almost a full day later?"

"Are you turning into my psychoanalyst?" Castle asked his daughter with a slight grin.

"No, I really want to know how you're feeling," Alexis said.

"I think you know already," Castle said simply. But he then said, "I'm happy, relieved but that's less than I felt right after she answered." He straightened up after closing the dishwasher and looked down at his daughter as she touched his arm.

"I'm really happy for you Dad, you definitely look happy," Alexis told him with a smile. "And I'm glad that Julia's back to normal around you."

"Me too," Castle said, nodding. "She talked to you guys earlier didn't she? Beckett I mean."

"She did, I think she was more concerned about you being engaged than about Julia, but we told her we were happy for her as well," Alexis said.

"Great, I thank you for that," Castle said, making the gesture with his hand. "Go with them and see what Julia picked out. Your future little sister."

"My little sister already," Alexis said firmly before she hugged her father quickly and then left.

Watching her at that, Castle was slightly taken aback, until he realized what she had meant, though he wondered if she understood what she had done saying that. He knew that just because he and Beckett weren't engaged, it wasn't set in stone that they would get married. But knowing his daughter thought it was more than likely, he felt a little better, though there were things he and Beckett needed to discuss before that point in the future and when he could adopt Julia. He dried off his hands then, remembering the night before, and how different he was from that moment, walking with Beckett out to the gazebo. He couldn't help remember his first two ex wives, and had to wonder why the thought was intruding then until he comprehended why, quickly.

He had always known that Beckett was very different from the women he'd been involved with, not just his ex wives. But the degree to which she had come to mean so much to him had been startling for him. Their relationship; from its start to that point; had been different as well from his other relationships, and he guessed before she had finally come to him, the challenge of making her notice him had been what attracted him and changed him slightly. Realizing he was in love with her had made him change yet again, and diverged from the way he had been, welcoming any woman's attention. Being with her had settled him to a degree, and with Julia in the picture was making him realize that he really wasn't kidding when he'd told Beckett that he had not wanted to imagine his life without her.

Smiling a little as he got the leftovers from their desserts out of the fridge to take in to the others, Castle knew that he probably owed half of his fiancée's agreement the night before to her daughter. He had never been kidding in realizing that her taking Julia in would change her; make her less afraid of her feelings; but he knew it had done the same for him as well. It was almost like raising Alexis again, but things were far different, and what he found to be a lot more satisfying was he was with Beckett and he had Julia and Alexis too. He had to wonder how things would be once they were all a family on paper, and he shook his head as he realized the subject of his thoughts was walking down the hall to him. "Hey," he said, his voice slightly tender though he hadn't wanted to clue her in on what he'd been thinking. "I swear I was about to come in right now, but I didn't know if you wanted wine or coffee," he then continued quickly, trying to get his tone back to normal.

"I offered to take everyone's drink order," Beckett said with a smile. "Your mom is fine, and Alexis and Julia would like some hot chocolate."

"And you?" Castle asked as he handed her the knife he'd been using to cut the rest of the pies up.

"Some wine," Beckett said with a smile. She watched as he quickly made some hot chocolate and said, "You really want us to come with you to San Francisco?"

"Of course," Castle said. "Oh, would you want me to invite your dad too?"

"If you want to go ahead," Beckett said. "Why don't you just ask me outright what he said when Julia and I talked to him? You've been avoiding it all day."

"I have not," Castle said quickly. When she shot him a look he said, "Alright, I might have been hoping to delay slightly. So what did he say when you told him?"

"He's fine with our getting married, more so when I told him you wanted to adopt Julia," Beckett asked. "He was a little surprised you wanted to do that actually, but he seemed generally pleased by the news."

"That's great," Castle said, setting two mugs on the tray he'd gotten ready to carry everything. He saw she had poured out two glasses of wine and asked, "What if I'd wanted hot chocolate?"

"Then it's your loss," Beckett said simply with a slight smile. "Hurry," she then told him. "Julia's getting a little impatient and she'll need to go to bed soon."

"I'll follow you," Castle said, picking up the tray. He was a little surprised when she walked next to him instead, and they headed together to the family room where Julia was looking over the back of the couch. "So what did we decide on?" he asked the little girl who was smiling at him.

"This," Julia said quickly. "What you gave me."

"I have no idea what this one is about," Castle said as he took the DVD after setting down the tray. "But the title seemed interesting."

"Did you read the description Dad?" Alexis asked as he took the movie out and put it in the player.

"Believe it or not I didn't. There were three movies on the page, all about the Beatles, so into my cart they went," Castle said, making a broad gesture with his hand. He smiled at Julia who had giggled, and then went to sit with her and Beckett on the couch. "But now I'm reading it," he said, looking at the back of the case. "Should be interesting," he said after quickly scanning it. "Or did I get her two DVDs of the same thing?" he said as he turned to the pile of them that were being kept on the coffee table.

"That was the Ed Sullivan show," Beckett said, holding him back as the movie was beginning. "Though I don't think she would really mind if they were the same DVD."

Castle glanced over at Julia and smiled slightly when he saw that she was nodding and said, "Okay, well, let's hope she enjoys this."

Watching the movie, Julia was in awe when she realized that it followed the band itself during its first American tour. She was giggling at the antics of the four men, and could barely tear her gaze away long enough to eat her dessert and drink her hot chocolate. But by the time the movie ended, she was bouncing up and down slightly; sitting in between her mother and Castle; and she said to the former, "Did you see how funny Paul was?"

"I saw," Beckett replied. "And it was a funny movie. But right now you need to go upstairs and take a bath before you get to sleep."

"I don't need to, I wanna see more," Julia said, climbing down from the couch and running over to Castle who was walking back to the couch. "Can I see more?"

"That's-" Castle started to say, looking at Beckett. He stopped though when he saw the expression on her face and realized that he could answer that. "Actually, I'm going to agree with her on this one. It's past eight so you got to stay up already, tomorrow night we'll try and watch something else. Maybe those Ed Sullivan episodes."

"No," Julia said with a pout, stomping her foot on the floor.

"Julia-" Beckett said warningly as she got up. She wasn't too surprised when her daughter ran to the Christmas tree, going around it to hide as she covered her face with her hands.

"Ah, that old trick. The 'if I can't see you, you can't see me, so you can't make me listen to you' ploy, that's a classic," Castle said, looking at his daughter. "I remember when you used to do that."

"I know, it never really worked, but I only did it a few times," Alexis said with a small smile, a little surprised at Julia doing that. "I realized that was not going to help."

"Don't suggest to her what might," Castle said quickly before he saw that Beckett was walking to the tree. "Let me," he said quietly so she would stop. "Well," he said a little more loudly and directed at Julia. "I guess if you're not going to go to bed then your mom and I can just take this San Francisco book and head up to your bed. Read for a while I think."

"Sounds like a great idea," Beckett said as he took her hand and pulled her over to the door.

"No!" Julia cried, uncovering her face and seeing them walking out with the book. "I'll go too Mommy, Castle, I wanna see the book!" she said almost frantically, running to her mother and grabbing her hand.

"Okay, then let's hurry so we can look at as much as we can," Beckett said, leaning down to pick up her daughter. She was a little surprised when Julia shook her head, and she smiled, looking at Castle as the little girl ran to him and jumped up against him, grabbing his arm.

Handing the book to Beckett with a smile, Castle reached down and picked her daughter up, carrying her against his hip. He was glad to do it; it was a nice reminder that she was getting back to normal. "You know you have to take a bath though," he told her as they went up the stairs.

"I know," Julia said with a deep sigh. "But we still look at the book Mommy?" she asked, looking over his shoulder.

"We will, if you don't play for too long," Beckett said. "Or I can just wash you and then we can read faster."

"Do that Mommy, I can play tomorrow," Julia said, nodding hurriedly.

"Mind if I look at one of your other books while you're taking a bath?" Castle asked, handing Julia to Beckett when they were in the room.

"Kay, but wait for me to look at that book," the little girl said seriously.

"I promise," Castle said as Beckett was getting her daughter's pajamas with one hand. "Look, I'll put it here on the nightstand, and then I'll sit here the whole time," while he went to the armchair with the fourth book that came with the _Wings Over America_ set he'd bought her. "Can I look at this one?"

"Yeah," Julia said, nodding her head.

Castle smiled as Beckett walked into the bathroom, and he looked down at the book, flipping through a few pages before he stopped to read one of the stories. He became so involved with it that he jumped a little when someone suddenly grabbed his arm.

"Did I scare you?" Julia giggled softly, sounding a little surprised at the same time.

"A little bit. Are you finished with your bath?" Castle asked her.

"Mommy wants you to wash my teeth," Julia said.

"Brush your teeth? Sure, let's get you set," he said as he took her into the bathroom. "Any reason?" he asked Beckett as she was still kneeling next to the tub. "Oh god, you didn't lose-"

"I took it off before I started giving her a bath," Beckett said in slight irritation as she was trying to wash off some shampoo and conditioner from the wall. "It's there next to the sink, please don't drop it."

"Right," Castle said as he grabbed her ring and slipped it into his pocket before he helped Julia onto the counter. "Any explanation for the mural on the wall?"

"My daughter decided to become an artist, and this was her canvas, her shampoo and conditioner her medium," Beckett said, standing up as she had finished. She dried her hands off and went to the counter saying, "Next time sweetie, I'll take care of the bottles okay?"

Julia, who was letting Castle help her run her toothbrush over her teeth, nodded but couldn't speak until they had finished. "I'm sorry Mommy," she told Beckett after rinsing out her mouth. "But it was fun."

"I know, and I accept your apology. Now we can take a look at that book," Beckett told her daughter, picking her up.

"Wait," Castle said quickly, grabbing her left hand before she left the room. He slid her ring on her finger, and then followed her out to the bed, picking up the book as Beckett and Julia got on the bed. "So how are we going to do this?" he asked as he was sitting against the headboard next to her, Julia on her lap.

"Just go through the pages, if she sees something she likes she'll let us know," Beckett said, glancing down at her daughter. "Right sweetie?"

"Yeah," Julia said simply, looking at the cover.

Castle opened the book, holding it out as he flipped through the pages slowly until he came to a two page spread on the Golden Gate Bridge. "Pretty amazing," he said. "Alexis said you can walk on it?"

"I told her," Beckett said with a nod. "It's beautiful, and great views of the city and Marin County across the bay."

"Why is it not finished here Mommy?" Julia asked, pointing to a picture of when the bridge was still being built.

"They're still making it here," Castle said. "See the people's clothes in this? It was a very, very long time ago."

"I wanna walk on it," Julia said, looking up at both her mother and Castle. "But that was the bridge Stitch destroyed."

"That's right," Beckett said. "He made San Francisco and then destroyed it. But that was just a model, we'll be fine."

"Kay," Julia said, quiet as Castle turned the pages again, having him stop when he came to two pages of an island. "What's that?"

"That is Alcatraz," Beckett said. "An island, you can see it's surrounded by water all the way around. And it used to be a very, very famous jail."

"Do you go see it?" Julia asked in slight confusion. When Castle and Beckett nodded she said in surprise, "You go to jail?"

"It's not a jail anymore, like a museum, on an island," Castle said. "Did you ever go?" he asked Beckett.

"I never really had the chance," she replied, looking down at the book. "But I always wanted to check it out, there's something desolate and lonely about it. You can see it from Fisherman's Wharf. And then you see the prison and things turn a little… intimidating. Which of course was the point."

"Of course," Castle said. "Wait, did you see this Julia?" he said as he flipped the pages back to another two pages.

"Is that the park at home?" Julia asked.

"Golden Gate Park," Beckett said. "I spent a few Saturdays exploring that. One place I want to take you now that I know we're going is here," she said, pointing out a museum.

"California Academy of Sciences," Castle read for the little girl. "An aquarium, planetarium, rainforest environment and living roof. Sounds great, Alexis should definitely go here. And if she doesn't want to go when we get there, do you mind if I follow you two?"

"No," Beckett said. "Okay, just one more page," she said as Julia yawned. "And then to bed little Julia."

Sighing, Julia nodded sleepily and watched as Castle flipped the pages before he stopped at one at random. "Is it Chinatown?" she asked as she looked at the pictures.

"It is, you've got a great eye," Castle said. "Oh, I snuck a look at this earlier when we had the movie paused," he told Beckett. "I think I know the hotel I want to try and get. The Westin St. Francis."

"Union Square itself," Beckett said with a nod. "That's a great hotel; I've walked by it from the stores in that area to Chinatown before."

"I'll have to check it out online, but the description in the book looks great," Castle said before he looked down at Julia. "She's-" he started to say.

Beckett held up her hand to stop him, and then waved it to motion him off the bed before she followed and picked up her daughter. She wasn't too surprised though when Julia opened her eyes. "Sweetie, you need to sleep," she said gently before the little girl could protest.

Sighing as she rubbed her cheek, Julia nodded and felt someone running their hand over her hair. "Night Castle," she said to him with a little smile.

"Goodnight Julia," he replied simply as she reached out to him. Taking her from Beckett, Castle hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek as she kissed his. He laid her down in the bed at her mother's direction, and stepped back to let Beckett tuck her in.

"Sleep tight," Beckett said, making sure she was warmly covered. She wasn't too surprised when Julia only nodded, and she leaned over, kissing her forehead before sharing a kiss with her though her daughter didn't react much. "I love you Julia," she told her with a smile before the little girl fell asleep. She followed Castle over to the door and once they were outside said, "Good move with the book earlier."

Castle shrugged slightly at that and said as they headed down the stairs, "You're starting to include me in decisions with her?"

"Remember how you said you should start acting like her father?" Beckett asked as they paused at the bottom of the stairs. When he nodded in agreement she then said, "I realized that was as good a place as any to start."

Smiling at that Castle didn't reply; as he knew already she would be aware he agreed with that statement; and took her hand, pulling her into his arms before he kissed her gently. He held her to him after they had parted, and then whispered into her ear gently; keeping an eye on the hall in case his mother or Alexis stepped out into it.

Pulling back after he'd spoken, Beckett merely said, "I don't think you need to waste your breath asking. You know my answer already." And with that she simply turned, walking over to the family room, a slight smirk on her face as she could feel his gaze on her easily as the sound of his footsteps shortly followed her own.

* * *

The flickering of light and shadows played across the room from the fire, Castle running his hands down Beckett's back as they kissed deeply, their bodies still slightly shaky from their shared pleasure. He watched her skin when they pulled back to breathe, keeping his eyes on the way it shone and then went dark with the force of her breathing. "We didn't really get to our drinks," he said as he was a little preoccupied watching her breasts suddenly as she leaned back.

"That wasn't because of me," Beckett said, watching him. "But," she said, cupping his chin and tilting his head up towards hers. "I don't think I'll really complain." She then moved, getting off of him as she'd been on her knees, and lay back on the bed of blankets he'd made. "I wasn't expecting you to really set all this up when you told me earlier," she mentioned to him as he began to follow her.

"I try not to say things I can't accomplish," Castle said, sounding distracted as he hesitated before he could lie down next to her. He glanced over her form, and let his hand rest on her abdomen before he leaned down, kissing her carefully. He knew he threw her off with that, but when he slowly coaxed her tongue into his mouth at the same time that he carefully spread her legs, he knew he was starting to confuse her. Pulling away a short time later, he sat up and turned to the table they were laying next to, quickly pouring out the champagne in the bottle that hadn't been emptied the night before. He handed Beckett one flute and took the other as she sat up.

"I feel like you're paying me back for earlier," she commented as they drank after tapping their glasses together.

"I don't really have any comment on that," Castle said simply.

Beckett would have been startled, if his words and tone weren't something he'd said to her already. It was something he liked to do when she was a little more aggressive with him; as she'd been before that point. But she hadn't really gone from pleasuring him to making love to him as roughly as she had then; not since before Queens; and wondered how he was going to react to that. As his hand suddenly grabbed her around the waist as they finished their glasses, she realized she was about to find out, and her heart immediately started to pound in anticipation.

Sliding the glasses onto the table, Castle quickly used his hand on her back to pull off the sheet she'd used to cover herself slightly. He then made her lay back, and kissed her gently. Again, he was trying to make her question if she was guessing correctly what he was going to do. It was what he needed for him to be able to get back that control which he'd allowed her to have when she'd stopped him from pouring the champagne in the first place to slide her hand into his pants. Pulling away from her lips, he slid straight down to her breasts, taking both with mouth and hand as he used his left leg and his right hand to keep her legs closed. He wanted to work her up as she'd done for him, knowing she was fine with that idea, as he soon felt her fingers running through his hair.

Feeling Castle groaning against her breast at her touch, Beckett looked on as he pulled away and then moved down to her stomach. She breathed out a little as her skin broke into goose bumps with his breath just barely ghosting over her. She held onto the back of his head for a moment, before letting him go to watch him descend to her legs. As he finally let her go, she parted them at his gentle touch, but tensed up as he used the pad of his thumb to rub at her entire entrance, sliding up last to the nub at the apex of her legs where he bowed his head next. The sensation of his tongue carefully rolling around it made her confused. He was gentle, but his touches were a lot rougher than everything else he did. She knew what he was doing, but it still threw her and she found herself enjoying every second of it.

Working to make sure that he was giving some of what he'd gotten from Beckett to her, Castle made sure to hold onto her tightly, wanting a kind of contrast still though he was focused in one place. He moved around to her thighs a few times as he was working his mouth and tongue over her, but the kisses he pressed to her warm skin were very soft, almost careful. He had no idea where his sudden plan had come from, but as he listened to her responses to everything he did, he wasn't about to question the source. He didn't stop until she was almost bucking her hips up to him, and he kept going until she was still under him. Moving then, he slid up her body and kissed around her shoulders and collarbone on each side until she cupped his cheeks with her hands, pulling him up to her.

Kissing deeply, Beckett could feel Castle's hands on her legs, and she let him move her. She had been tempted to get on top of him again, but he seemed to sense that, and kept himself on her to stop her. She relinquished the idea quickly, and let him move slightly before her breath was suddenly catching, and sharply as they were coupled together once more. His lips were brushing under her jaw, and she turned, pulling him up to her lips as he began to thrust. She knew then why he had wanted to contrast being gentle and a little rough with her, his first thrust had her nearly screaming into his mouth as she had allowed herself to be lulled into thinking things would be far different. She threw her arms around his shoulders, and kissed him again, passionately as they began to move together, her body unable to keep from wanting to match him to feel more.

Turning his head to the side to breathe, but keeping their foreheads pressed together, Castle could feel Beckett's lips on his cheek, descending to his jaw. He lowered his head then, and kissed at her neck, sliding his teeth over her skin lightly. He could feel her tremble of pleasure at that, and he moved to kiss her pulse before going back down to the hollow of her throat. He could feel the heat of her flesh mixed in with her pendant as he had his eyes tightly closed, kissing wherever he could reach randomly. Pulling away, he looked down at her, watching as she moved to meet him, stroke for stroke. He couldn't stop himself, and he leaned down, crushing her lips with his own as hard as he could, feeling her throwing her arms around him in response instantly again.

With her right leg soon wrapping around Castle tightly, Beckett tilted her head back as they ended that kiss together, too breathless to continue it. She felt his face pressing into her neck before he started to press a long line of heated kisses along her pulse. She shook once as he went all the way to her shoulder, and brushed his lips there. She was a little unsure if she wanted more than that, but he seemed to sense what she was leaning towards more, and bit lightly on the junction with her neck, the response to that shooting through her entirely.

Feeling Beckett growing more erratic, Castle was quick to move, that time pushing himself up on his elbows before he looked her over, wanting to watch her again as he was making love to her. He couldn't take it anymore after only a few seconds, and reaching up with his right hand, slid it over her cheek, slowly stroking her swollen lips before she pressed a kiss to his thumb. He moved his whole hand down, and went to her neck, where he hesitated for a second before taking the chance.

Understanding why he had faltered, Beckett was quick to reach up and run her hand down his arm from his wrist as he gently held her throat. He didn't remain there long; though she had been fine with the movement; and she felt his fingers searing her skin as he traced the edge of the hollow of her throat with his index finger. She almost held her breath, closing her eyes tightly as he moved down to her breasts. Breathing out heavily as he cupped her right one almost tenderly, his thumb flicked the nipple and she was arching her back slightly.

Recognizing that immediately, Castle leaned down and kissed at her throat before he could feel her losing control, her entire body tensing for a second underneath his. He kept on thrusting as he joined her very shortly, the feel of her pleasure too much for him to be able to get through without going through the same. He kissed her as they were both a little lost to anything but the sensations going through their bodies, but they were rapid kisses, moving on to another area of skin he could reach before doing the same there.

Breathing out deeply once she was nearly immobile, Beckett ran her fingers over Castle's right shoulder, feeling that what was once rigid with muscle only shortly before was loose and relaxed. She turned her head slightly to the side and kissed his temple before he raised his head, kissing her on the lips which she was ready for and welcomed.

Parting from the kiss, Castle and Beckett moved up to the bed, leaving everything on the floor and table where it was. Lying back together as they tried to keep the sudden drop in temperature from hitting their slightly damp bodies, they kissed again before he pulled back first.

"I'm pretty sure we're even at this point," Castle commented.

"Are you keeping track- of course," Beckett began to say before she continued in annoyance. "Of course you are, are you keeping track of orgasms too, because if you are-" she said before he cut her off by kissing her. "No, no, that doesn't work," she said, sounding a little aggravated.

"I've got other things on my mind Kate," Castle said. "When we're involved with that. So no, I'm not keeping score, or track, or whatever. I just don't want it lopsided. Plus, you know, it's not too bad for me really, if I'm returning a favor. Don't tell me you didn't enjoy that."

"And did you?" Beckett said. "Before?" When he nodded she sighed and said, "Yes I did, but I don't like things to be so even, I do like spontaneity most of the time."

"After this long together, yes I know, but…" Castle said, leaning down and kissing at her shoulders.

"What?" Beckett asked as he didn't continue.

"Do you mind if I go back to what I started?" Castle asked, gesturing to her lips. "I'd like to finish up my business there."  
"Business-" Beckett began to scoff before he suddenly kissed her. Though she'd been irritated the first time, she didn't mind it the second time, and was very quickly responding until they pulled away at the same time. She couldn't stop herself, and kissed him again before she was suddenly kissing all over his cheeks and jaw.

Grabbing her tightly so his hands were pressed to the small of her back, Castle tried to kiss her as she was busy doing that, but never really made contact with her mouth until he cupped her cheek with his hand and held her still.

Almost shivering at the very slow, gentle kiss he planted on her lips, Beckett seemed to feel her body almost melting, almost sliding against him if he hadn't been holding her up. When they parted, she cupped his face with her hands, and whispered his name against his lips, letting her love for him slip into her tone and not caring if he caught it.

Hearing her easily though her voice was low, Castle whispered her name; echoing her tone; before taking her mouth with his, their kiss becoming deeper, more heated as they held on to one another. He held her more firmly to him as they parted, just pressing his cheek against hers.

They spent a little more time like that, until they turned to each other at the same time, kissing gently. They took their time, letting things unfold as they were able to read one another easily. And with her fingers sliding through his hair, the diamonds in Beckett's ring reflected the light of the fire as Castle laid her down slowly, neither of them breaking off that kiss.


	8. Chill Right To The Bone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Tired of Midnight Blue by George Harrison, from his album Extra Texture (Read All About It).

Stepping inside the bedroom, Castle was a little surprised to see that Beckett was sitting up, looking at her tablet. "I was hoping," he began to get her attention. "To get back before you woke up. How are you feeling?"

"Fine, a little disappointed that I'm still not completely better. But at least there isn't a chance to go out today," Beckett said, nodding to the windows where outside a blizzard was scraping snow against them. "Thanks," she told Castle was he handed her a mug. "I'm a little tired drinking tea," she said before she tried to take a sip.

"I always found that was the best thing," Castle said. "If not for the caffeine, then the fact it helps with a sore throat."

"Which I didn't really have, it was just a tickle that could have turned into a cold if I hadn't rested yesterday," Beckett said simply. "Speaking of yesterday, I didn't get a chance to ask you about last night. How was it?"

"It was fun, but Julia was worrying about you the whole time we were there," Castle said. The night before he'd taken Alexis and Julia to the pizza place they'd gone to before Christmas; the plan having been for Beckett to be with them as well. But she'd woken up that morning with a cold starting and she had wanted to fight it the best she could, so she'd stayed home and when he'd brought the two back, she'd been fast asleep. "I would have told you about it, but that medicine knocked you out didn't it?" he asked.

"Pretty much," Beckett said. "But was she alright besides that?"

"We managed to convince her that you would be," Castle said. "She was still uneasy though so I don't know how much we managed to help."

"She'll be able to see I'm fine today," Beckett said. She opened her mouth to speak again, when she heard a cry of fear, along with bare feet running down the hall. "Julia?" she called before her daughter shot through the room and to the bed.

Quickly helping the little girl up, Castle handed her to her mother, and watched as Julia sobbed once before burying her face into Beckett's shoulder. "She's okay," he said, reaching out and touching her back as his fiancée tried to soothe her daughter.

"Who is screaming?" Julia nearly shrieked.

"It's a blizzard," Beckett said when she realized then what was scaring her. "It's not screaming, it's the wind," she said soothingly.

"Is it gonna come inside?" Julia whispered, leaning back to see her mother was telling the truth.

"No way," Castle answered instead. "I think that's why the wind is screaming, because it wants to."

"We'll be fine," Beckett said, looking at him questioningly for a moment before turning her attention back to Julia.

"Are you okay Mommy?" Julia asked softly, cupping her mother's cheeks.

"I'm fine," Beckett said. "Just need to make sure I don't go outside."

"No, don't!" Julia cried, wrapping her arms around her mother's neck.

"I'm kidding sweetie," Beckett told her, kissing her temple. "There no way I would go outside in this."

"Me neither," Castle hurriedly said as Julia turned to look at him, knowing what she was going to ask. "We got everything ready yesterday, and we're set for as long as this lasts."

"I don't like it," Julia said, looking out the windows a little nervously.

"It's alright, we'll have a chance to play today," Beckett said. "And as long as the power holds, we can watch movies, or you can play with Alexis, with her new game."

"Oh, can I ask her if I can?" Julia asked eagerly at that.

"You can," Alexis said from the door. She smiled when the three looked over at her and Martha; who was behind her; and said, "We heard her."

"I'm sorry if she woke you up," Beckett told them.

"I don't blame her," Martha said. "I've never liked the sound and the darkness that comes from the snow. Though it puts me in mind of The Tempest…"

"Are you gonna speak Shakespeare?" Julia asked after they were all quiet for a few moments.

"I didn't realize that was my cue," Martha said. "But I'll decline to perform this one time; we have enough with the storm."

"Okay, I'll take care of breakfast," Castle said, getting up. "I'll call you once it's ready, unless you're all going back to bed?" When they had all replied no, he then said, "I'll let you know once I'm done."

After Castle had left, Martha and Alexis did the same, and Beckett looked down at Julia asking, "Feeling better sweetie?"

"Little bit," Julia said, shivering slightly as the wind screamed against the windows.

"Why don't we brush your hair and get your robe and slippers before we head downstairs. You can help Castle if he needs it," Beckett said.

"Kay," Julia said, sounding a little happier at that. She let her mother pick her up and carry her to her room before she sat on her knees on the bed. "Mommy, don't I have to change?" she asked as Beckett brushed her hair carefully.

"Not today," she told her daughter. "I think it's one of those days where you stay in your pajamas. That's what I'm going to do."

"But that's 'cause you're sick," Julia said, turning around as Beckett stood up.

"Not really," she said. "I'm trying not to get sick. But I don't mind staying in my pajamas."

Giggling softly Julia then asked, "What about Castle and Alexis and Martha. Do they do the same?"

"I don't know, but it doesn't matter," Beckett said. "Come on, you're probably hungry," she said, taking Julia's ankle to put her slipper on her foot. When she had gotten her daughter's robe on her, she took Julia downstairs where Castle was setting some pancakes on a plate.

Running over to him, Julia grabbed the pocket of his robe and said, "Mommy says I can stay like this?"

"Good idea," Castle said, putting his hand on the back of her head. "Actually I might do the same."

"You will?" Julia said in surprise.

"Sure, why not, I'm not really planning on going outside today," Castle said, nodding to the nearest window. "Unless you want me to."

Julia shook her head furiously and then asked, "Can I help?"

"Sure," Castle told her. "I only have a few more to make, but I could use an extra hand." He handed her the spatula that he was holding, and grabbed the stool she had used before. Standing behind her after she was on it, he poured out some batter and while they were waiting noticed Beckett reaching into a cabinet next to them. "I thought you were getting better?" he asked as she pulled out a bottle of medicine.

"I'm not completely better, I wouldn't be that lucky," Beckett said simply. "But I think a little more rest and; hopefully; one more dose of this and I'll be fine."

"Hurry, the pancakes are going to burn," Castle said quickly as he turned back to the pan. He helped Julia turn them over and said, "Why don't you tell my mother and Alexis that everything is ready?"

"Kay," Julia said, stepping down and then running over to the stairs.

"I'm fine," Beckett said when they were alone, pouring some orange juice into a pitcher.

"You could tell I was going to ask again?" Castle asked since they were back to back at that moment.

"I know you, so yes, of course," Beckett said. She laughed slightly when his hand slid around her waist from behind and said, "Now they're going to burn."

"No, they're finished," Castle said before he leaned over and kissed her neck.

"Are you going to write today?" Beckett asked as he didn't stop then.

Sighing, as he knew that was meant to get him to stop, Castle said, "I'll give it a shot, but later. Later when I feel the need to write more, I can't push myself."

"What's a better urge than getting the next two chapters to your publisher the day after New Year's?" Beckett asked.

"Oh, good, you're all here, and that was a great reminder," Castle said as the others were coming towards them, directing the last to Beckett.

"A reminder for what?" Alexis asked as she helped Julia onto her chair.

"What we're going to do for New Year's Eve," Castle said as they sat down. "I was thinking, what if we headed back to the city? It would be nice if Julia could see the fireworks. My roof," he then said to Beckett and Julia. "Has the best view."

"That would be nice," Beckett agreed. "I don't think I would mind."

"Well, Stephanie next door texted me last week, asking if we would go to her parents' party they're going to have," Alexis said.

"That's fine, it was just an idea I had," Castle said reassuringly.

"We could still go," Beckett said quickly. "Just us with Julia. Or with Julia and you Martha, if you want to go back with us."

"I think," Martha said, having been watching her son and Beckett. "That I would like to stay, and so would Julia."

Julia nodded firmly when Castle and Beckett looked at her and said, after swallowing her mouthful of pancakes, "I do too. I wanna go to the party with Alexis."

"But we can't just leave you," Beckett said, looking doubtful. "After-"

"We'll still come back the second," Alexis quickly said. "But it'll be fun, just the three of us for a couple days until we go home."

Beckett glanced at Castle, and she raised her eyebrows slightly to which he shrugged quickly. "Alright," she said, knowing he was leaving it for her to decide as he didn't care what she chose to do. "I'm fine with Julia staying with you of course, as long as she doesn't mind."

"No, I'll be good Mommy," Julia said seriously.

"I know," Becket said with a smile.

"So I guess our plans are set," Castle said simply. When Beckett nodded he said, "I just hope you guys will enjoy the party."

"We will, there are going to be some other families there, so I think Julia will meet some kids and Stephanie's cousins are going to be there too, they're six," Alexis said. "Twin girls," she said quickly to Julia who was listening attentively.

"And a few of my friends from the area will be attending, but don't worry Kate we will keep an eye on your daughter," Martha said.

"I know, believe me, I trust you both with her already," Beckett said.

"What will you do Mommy?" Julia asked.

"We'll see," Beckett said. "Probably just wait for midnight, I don't know what you have planned," she directed to Castle.

"Nothing at the moment, so you might be right," he told her. "We'll see."

At that moment, the wind picked up and Julia tensed up, dropping her fork to her plate before she jumped off her chair and ran to her mother. "Why does it scream?" she asked almost tearfully.

Picking her daughter up, Beckett held her against her and kissed the top of her head. "It's not screaming, it's just the wind sweetie," she said, trying to be as soothing as possible.

"The snow wants to get in where it's warm," Castle said then. "But nobody lets it in, so that's why it's making that noise."

"Oh, but it'll melt, does it know?" Julia asked.

"I think so," Castle said with a slight chuckle.

"Are you hungry still?" Beckett said to her daughter, to try and get her to ignore the blizzard that she had herself largely forgotten about.

"Little," Julia said.

Pulling Julia's plate over, Beckett allowed her daughter the luxury of helping feed her since she knew the little girl was scared. But when they finished she said, "Why don't you help me clean everything up okay?"

"Actually," Castle said, standing and taking their plates. "I've got this."

"So do I," Alexis said, joining her dad. "But Julia, I want to play some games with you after I'm finished okay?"

"Kay," Julia said, smiling widely. "Like what?"

"Since the electricity is still on, we can try some of my other games on Wii, instead of my new one, see what you can play too," Alexis replied. "Why don't you take a look and see which one you want to try?"

"I will, but Mommy," Julia said, making a slight face then. "I don't wanna wear my pajamas anymore."

"Are you sure?" Beckett asked with a smile, not surprised her daughter had said that since Alexis had changed out of her pajamas before coming down to eat.

"Yeah, I know what I wanna have on, lemme show you Mommy!" Julia said eagerly, grabbing her mother's hand and pulling at it until she stood up.

"We'll be right back," Beckett said with a slight laugh before letting Julia pull her down the hall to the stairs.

"You know, it's interesting to see her like that," Martha said. "Both you and Kate have done a wonderful job getting her to open up."

"Mostly Kate," Castle said quickly.

"I don't know Dad," Alexis said as Martha left. "I think you've helped a lot too."

Shrugging Castle said, "I don't think so, but the least I can do now is help Julia become an excellent Wii player right?" When Alexis shook her head slightly he laughed under his breath before turning back to the dishes, not really joking about that as he watched the steam from the hot water curl up in the air.

* * *

"Mommy's getting dressed," Julia said, running around the couch and jumping up against Castle.

"Oof, I guessed, and I see you're all changed," he said with a slight chuckle as he helped her stand up straight. "And you're wearing the shirt I got you."

Julia nodded, a wide smile on her face, and then turned around with her hands above her head, on her toes. "It's my favorite picture," she giggled as Castle tried holding the tips of her fingers. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome," Castle said, glad she had liked the shirt since he'd had a hard time deciding between the one she was wearing and a second choice. In the end he'd picked out the white t-shirt of the Beatles later in the 60s standing together since Paul was more in front of the other three men and he'd thought Julia would like it. "Alexis went to make a quick call, but why don't we look at her video games, pick one for you two to play once she comes back?"

"Kay," Julia said. Her voice faltered though when a sudden gust of wind blew some snow against the windows.

"Come on," Castle said quickly to distract her before she could get scared. He took her hand and pulled her to the cabinet by the TV, where he let her look through the few games that Alexis kept at the house.

Beckett walked into the room to find Julia looking at a game case and Castle trying to set up the TV. She smiled as her daughter was spinning back and forth, and she knew Julia was letting her black and red plaid skirt bell out above her leggings. "Sweetie," she said, getting their attention suddenly. "You're going to get sick."

"Which means I'll be able to win," Alexis said jokingly as she walked in behind Beckett.

"I'm not dizzy," Julia said in protest as she hurried over to Alexis. "Here, I want to play this," she said, handing her the game.

"Did you suggest this?" Alexis asked her dad, seeing the game was one of the first she'd had for Wii.

"No, she asked the titles, and when I told her it was _Dancing With the Stars_ she made her decision," Castle said. "I told her you don't really dance, but-"

"I want to try it," Julia said plaintively.

"Okay, but the dancers are going to look kind of funny," Alexis said as she handed the game case to her father. "The graphics aren't that good."

"Is Derek on it?" Beckett asked.

"He is," Alexis said. "I have to admit, I kind of played as Jennie Garth for a long time when I first got this game."

"Kind of?" Castle asked as he took Beckett's arm and led her to the coffee table where they sat to watch their daughters.

"Most of the time," Alexis said, before she noticed Julia watching her. She laughed and said, "Okay, you might not get this game, it's pretty hard at first, so let me show you what you need to do."

Julia looked at the screen as Alexis played a level on her own, which was the Jive as Jenny Garth with Derek. She looked at the remote and the way the young woman was holding it and the object attached to it and frowned slightly when the dance finished. "You're very good," she said seriously.

"I played a lot before I got bored with the game," Alexis said quickly before she put the remote in Julia's hand.

"I don't know if she'll be able to do that on her own," Beckett said as the young woman was trying to explain how to move the remote and what she called the Nunchuk to Julia. "She doesn't know right and left yet."

"I don't," Julia said worriedly.

"That's alright," Alexis said. "It takes a while to get it."

"I still haven't gotten it down," Castle said. "Only time I know I'm getting it right for sure is when I put on gloves," he said, holding up his hands as Julia and his daughter were watching him. "What?" he said when no one laughed. "It's funny."

"It believable," Beckett said with a small smirk.

Julia giggled at the face Castle made then, but then looked up at Alexis asking, "What if I don't get it?"

"Why don't we play together?" Alexis asked. "And after I'll pick out an easier game for you okay?" When Julia nodded she set up the first dance, the Waltz, and held Julia's hands which were still holding the controls.

Smiling as she watched her daughter trying her best to get the moves on the control down, Beckett leaned against Castle and whispered, "Was a good idea, she hasn't even noticed the wind."

"I know, well, any kind of diversion will do that," he replied. "Nice job," he then said to Julia as the song finished.

"Did I?" Julia asked, handing the controls to Alexis and then running to her mother, leaning against her legs.

"You did pretty well for your first time," Beckett said. "Don't you want to play again?" she asked as she stroked Julia's hair.

Shaking her head the little girl said, "I wanna watch."

"Why don't we pick out another game," Alexis suggested again as she went over to the games to search through them. "I think I have one you can play. It's called _Balloon Pop_ , it's pretty easy."

"Will you play with me Mommy?" Julia asked.

"Why don't you play again with Alexis," Beckett suggested. "She'll know how to play better than I do."

"Kay," Julia said softly before she turned to the young woman and then ran over to her. "Can I play with you?"

"Of course," Alexis said with a laugh. "Let's try and practice a little, and then see if you can play by yourself."

"I don't think I can," Julia said softly.

"It's okay if it takes some time," Alexis said, switching the games. "You don't have to do it perfectly right away."

Beckett was glad to hear Alexis say that, since she had been trying for a long time to help Julia's low self esteem since she had adopted her. She had been able to make some progress, but it didn't hurt for her daughter's friend to help out as well. "She's right, everyone has to learn how to play this game," she said to Julia as Castle's daughter got the control ready. "Alexis did I'm sure."

"I did, so did Dad," Alexis told Julia, who then looked at her in shock. "I'm serious," she said with a slight laugh at the astonishment on the little girl's face.

"Yeah, unfortunately for a while my own daughter was getting higher scores each level," Castle said, pretending to be annoyed. "But you'll get it Julia, just listen to Alexis, she's really good at this game."

"I will," Julia said, nodding hurriedly before turning her attention to her friend. After Alexis had showed her how to play, they then went through a level together before she tried on her own. She tried the best she could though she was having a hard time moving the remote to pop the balloons at first. But she got the hang of it in enough time to be able to get a good score for never having played the game before.

"See? You did great," Alexis said as Julia hugged her.

"Thank you for teaching me," the little girl told her seriously before she ran back to her mother. "Was that okay Mommy?"

"It was," Beckett said, kissing her temple before she hugged her tightly to her. "Keep playing though."

"Wait," Castle said, reaching out and touching Julia's shoulder before she could go back to his daughter. "When you're trying to get a bunch of balloons at once, just go crazy, I always did that and I know you'll be able to get a ton of points at once."

"Kay, thank you," Julia said before she hugged him around the neck tightly.

"You're welcome," Castle said, hugging her back before she went back to Alexis. "Win this one for me," he whispered, holding his fist to her when he'd let her go.

"What do I do with that?" Julia asked in confusion. She was even more puzzled when her mother and Alexis both snorted in laughter at the same time before covering it up by coughing.

"Never mind, go ahead and play again, see if you can get a better score," Castle said.

"Nice try," Beckett told him as Alexis and Julia were playing again.

"I should teach her that. Actually, I'm surprised Esposito didn't try already," Castle said.

"I know, but he's probably waiting for her to get older," Beckett said before they watched their daughters playing again. She smiled as the level ended and Julia squealed in joy at her score, jumping up and down. When her daughter ran to her she laughed as the little girl's voice was high in her excitement. She hugged Julia to her tightly, treasuring the moment; her daughter not scared or worried, acting like any four year old would.

* * *

Closing the door behind her later on that day after lunch, Beckett turned around when it opened again and asked, "You're taking a nap too?" as Castle walked inside.

"No, I wanted to ask you-" he started to say after he had closed the door.

"I'm alright, seriously," Beckett said, cutting him off. "I just want to sleep off that dose from earlier, it's making me drowsy."

"Are you sure," Castle said, watching as she pulled off her shoes.

"Yes, I'm a little tired, so I just want to get caught up on my sleep," Beckett said, lying down. "And you need to stop stalling."

"I'm not stalling," Castle said, sitting next to her on the edge of the bed. "Just checking on you." When Beckett didn't say anything, he finally sighed and said, "And maybe stalling for a short amount of time."

"If you say so," Beckett said. "Go Castle, I want to sleep."

"Right," Castle said. "So, you don't want me to wait until you fall-" he started to say before she pushed at him. "Alright, I'm going," he said, trying not to laugh as she rolled her eyes. "Oh, do you need-" he said, stopping after he'd gone around the bed. Before he could finish though, she had thrown a pillow at him and he laughed outright as he caught it and threw it on the bed. "I'm going, goodnight."

"Goodnight Castle," Beckett said. She waited until she heard the door closing behind him before she relaxed and then closed her eyes.

Castle was careful going down the stairs, since Julia's door was open, and he didn't want to risk waking her up. Going to his study, he went to his laptop and turned it on before sitting down, pulling himself forward into the space for his legs when a yelp startled him.

"Owie!" the voice said, and Castle bent down to find Julia curled up against the wall in the dark space.

"Julia," he said in shock as he reached down and picked her up. "Why are you down here?"  
"I got scared," the little girl said, tears in her eyes. "It's screaming too loud."

"It's alright," Castle said, running his hand over her hair. "Why didn't you go sleep with your mom?"

"She's sick," Julia said, starting to cry then. "What if she doesn't get better?"

"You heard her earlier," Castle said reassuringly as her arms wrapped around his neck. "She just wants to get some rest so she won't get sick for sure."

"Can you make sure she does?" Julia asked, looking up at him.

"I have been already, so you don't need to worry," Castle said, reaching up and wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Do you want to sleep?"

"I'm too scared," Julia said, shaking her head.

"You don't need to be scared," Castle said simply. He kissed her temple then, a little startled at himself, since he didn't really do that with her, but it had been instinct, knowing it was from comforting Alexis when she'd been younger. "Your mom is here, so are Alexis and my mom."

"And you," Julia said. "I-I came here 'cause you can make the wind sound funny." She pressed her cheek against his and said, "I'm sorry if I was bad."

"No, you weren't," Castle said. "Don't cry though okay? You're safe here and we won't let anything happen. Like I said, that wind is really mad it can't get in, so if you let it bother you, that means it's winning right?"

"Oh, really?" Julia asked after thinking about that for a moment.

"Yeah, so you'll be okay," Castle said. "You don't think you'll be able to sleep?"

"I'm not sleepy," Julia said firmly, pulling back to look at him while she shook her head. "Are you gonna make me go to sleep?"

"No, I was going to see if you wanted to go on my computer with me," Castle said. "Like we did the other day."

"Yeah, what do we see?" Julia asked, turning to look at the laptop.

"I found this, I wanted you to watch," Castle said, going to YouTube. He paused for a moment, remembering that he was supposed to write, but then shrugged it off, going instead to the web site since he wanted the chance to spend time with Julia alone since he was usually with her and her mother when he was with the little girl. "Okay, this is from the show _The Colbert Report_ , and he had a very special guest. Watch," he told the little girl, playing the clip which was of the host teasing Paul McCartney about an old Beatles trading card that listed his favorite food as roast beef.

"Ooh, but Paul doesn't eat that now," Julia giggled.

"I know, but what I wanted you to see was the back of the card," Castle said, going back and pausing the clip at the moment the back of the card was shown. "Look here, I'll read it for you. Favorite color, blue."

"It says that?" Julia asked eagerly, looking at the screen.

"It does," Castle said, chuckling slightly as she clapped her hands together. "I thought you'd want to know that you have the same favorite color as Paul does."

"Thank you," Julia said, smiling at him and kissing his cheek. "I like that Paul likes it."

"Why don't we go look at some books together?" Castle suggested then. "I know you have that big Beatles book your mom gave you, I'd like to see it."

"Kay," Julia said before he put her down on the ground. She took his hand once he was standing, and hurriedly pulled him down the hall to the family room where some of her books were still on the coffee table. "This one?" she asked, holding up the biggest of the books she'd gotten.

"Yeah, can you carry it?" Castle asked. When the little girl nodded seriously he let her walk to him, but kept an eye on her to make sure she didn't drop it. "Okay, did you read it at all?"

"No, I only saw a little pictures," Julia said once she was sitting on his lap and he was holding it open in front of her. "Will you read to me?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Of course," Castle said. And he proceeded to do so, though the book was mostly pictures, there were a few pages before each set, written by the photographer himself. When they got to some pictures of the band in their pajamas, having a pillow fight he said, "I remember these pictures from when I was younger. I always thought it was so funny these awesome musicians were having a pillow fight like any kid would."

"It looks fun," Julia giggled. "Look at Paul," she said, pointing to the singer in one picture.

Castle flipped through the rest of the book until they had finished, and he checked the time, seeing it was still early. "Do you want to color?" he asked as Julia was looking at the cover of the book.

"No," Julia said, seeming to jump at his voice. She started to get off his lap when he helped her down, and she set the book down before running out of the room.

A little startled, Castle started to stand up when he heard Julia stop running before she began to again, but he could hear her coming back. "You're going to slip you know," he teased her as she came in, her tablet in her hands.

Julia shook her head no at that, giggling, and then held up the tablet saying, "Can we play our game?"

"Sure," Castle said. "We haven't played since Christmas, and I want to see where else we can go in time." He led her to the couch and once she was sitting on his lap again, started the game he'd put on it for her.

The two soon became so involved that they didn't notice they were being watched until arms wrapped around Castle's neck from behind and a voice whispered loudly into his ear, "You didn't write a thing did you?"

Startled, but quickly recovering; as Julia turned to see who it was; Castle quickly said, "Not a word. But guess what?" lowering his voice to the same volume. "I'm playing with Julia."

"I can see that and what do you want, a cookie as a reward?" Beckett asked.

"Actually… that would be nice," Castle said.

"You can get one yourself," Beckett said, shaking her head as she walked around the couch to sit next to him. "And you sweetie," she directed to her daughter. "You didn't sleep at all did you?"

"No Mommy, I got scared 'cause the wind," Julia said.

"Then why didn't you come sleep with me?" Beckett asked.

"I was scared 'cause you're sick," Julia said shyly, covering her mouth with the tablet.

"I'm not sick," Beckett said. "In fact, I feel better for sure now."

"I'm glad to hear that," Castle said. "See Julia? I told you she was fine. But we did have fun," he then said to Beckett. "We looked at her book and spent the rest of the time playing her game."

"How're you doing with that?" Beckett asked as Julia moved to her lap and hugged her tightly.

"Good, Castle's smart," Julia said earnestly, looking up at her.

"Thank you," Castle said.

"I never said you weren't," Beckett said quickly since she had easily picked up on his tone of voice. "But yes, you're right sweetie, he's pretty smart. For now though, how about the three of us play a game?"

"On this?" Julia asked, looking down at her tablet in slight confusion.

"No," Beckett said with a slight laugh. "One of the games Santa gave you."

"Oooh, can we?" Julia said eagerly.

"Go ahead and pick one," Beckett said. She smiled when Julia ran over to the pile of board games and commented, "I should have taken everything up."

"It's better to leave them down here," Castle said simply as they watched her daughter looking through the four board games she'd received Christmas morning. "Since this is where we seem to gravitate to after dinner."

"She came downstairs?" Beckett asked in a whisper, since Julia was looking at each game closely.

"She was hiding under my desk," Castle said. "I ran into her when I pushed my chair in."

"Thank you for taking care of her," Beckett said a little absently.

"Is hiding in the dark coming from that hidden room?" Castle asked then.

"I think so, she feels safer there," Beckett replied. "But I think you helped out a lot yourself. She hasn't been paying attention to the wind has she?"

"No, but she was pretty scared when I found her," Castle said.

"I shouldn't have put her down for a nap, but she was up early, so I wanted to try," Beckett said quickly before her daughter walked over to them. "That one?" she asked Julia as she was holding out a board game.

"Yeah, but I don't remember what this is," Julia said. "But this is an s," she said, pointing to the top of the box.

"You're right, it's called Sequence, you told me you and Celia played this together at her home," Beckett said, letting Castle take the box to open it.

"Oh, that's what it is? I thought it looked like it," Julia said eagerly. "Can we play it?"

"We left the decision up to you," Castle said. "And I want to play too if it's okay with you. I've never heard of this game before."

"It's fun, there's animals on it and you make four of them," Julia said quickly as her mother was setting up the board game.

"Four in a row," Beckett corrected her.

"Yeah, that," Julia said. "Can Alexis play?"

"Maybe later," Beckett said.

"No, I'm here," the young woman said, having heard the conversation. "I didn't know you were going to play a game."

"Come play," Julia said eagerly, grabbing her hand. As she started to pull Alexis back to the coffee table she gasped as the lights flickered and clutched at the young woman's hand tightly.

"We'll have to get the flashlights and candles set," Castle said, looking up as Alexis tried to calm down the little girl.

"I'm surprised you don't have them ready yet," Beckett said as she wrapped her arms around Julia who Alexis had led over to her. "It's okay sweetie, there's nothing to be scared of if the lights go out."

"But how do we do anything?" Julia asked.

"We have flashlights and candles," Alexis said. "And fire too, so we'll have some lights. It'll be fun though," she said, getting on her knees across the table. She smiled as Julia ran around to her, sitting on her knees as well and leaning against her. "We can pretend we're camping."

"What's that?" Julia asked.

"You'll need to take her camping one day," Castle said before Alexis could reply to that.

"There's a lot of things we need to do," Beckett said. "I'll have to try and make some time for that."

"But what's camping?" Julia asked.

Beckett let Alexis explain it to her daughter, and she glanced at Castle, wondering what had happened while he and Julia had been alone during her nap. They hadn't really spent much time alone together in the past six months, but she thought about having them do that more often since she could tell that despite her fear about the blizzard, Castle had managed to calm Julia down, and for the time being ignore her fears of the storm raging outside.

* * *

Spinning around, Julia had her arms outstretched before she heard Alexis calling her name. "Are they there?" she asked eagerly, hurrying over to where she was sitting on the end of the couch.

"Right here," Alexis said, showing Julia her tablet. "I almost forgot about these."

"Forgot about what?" Castle asked, coming in with a teapot.

"The Halloween pictures," Alexis said. "From Gram's party. Julia asked for pictures to put on her tablet, and I gave her some that I had."

"Think I can take a look at them?" Castle said. When Julia had hurried to him and given him the tablet, he smiled down at the picture that was open; of the little girl with her mother. "I remember taking this picture," he said, smiling up at Julia.

"I remember waiting for you to take the picture," Beckett said, entering with Martha. "And it seemed to take you a ridiculously long time to do so."

"I could not get that flash to work," Castle said in his defense. He smiled when Julia laughed slightly and then went through the next few pictures before he stopped at one that Alexis' roommate had taken. "You know," he began slowly. "Next Halloween I think we should dress up as the Sgt. Pepper band."

"Where did you get that idea?" Beckett asked, pausing in pouring out the hot cider that she'd made.

"This picture," Castle replied easily, showing her the one of them with their daughters. "And remembering the cover for the tablet. It'll be fun though. Julia you go as Paul, Alexis, you can be John and you and I… You can dress up as Paul Julia," he said, trailing off when he'd looked to Beckett and saw the look on her face, faltering before he finished.

"Better idea," Beckett replied as she motioned for Julia to come over to her. Just as she was about to set the mug she'd filled for her daughter on the coffee table, the lights flickered once; as they'd been doing more steadily since they'd eaten dinner; and then went out completely.

The room was lit by the fire that Alexis had started, but Julia still let out a short shriek of fear, running the rest of the way to her mother and throwing herself at her.

"Sweetie, it's okay," Beckett said, rubbing her daughter's back as she was shaking against her.

"But it's still screaming," Julia said, sounding tearful. "And it's gonna get inside!"

"It won't," Castle said. "Alexis, help me get some more light."

Julia looked up as the two left the room and she shuddered saying, "Can you stop it Mommy?"

"Not really," Beckett said. "But Julia, I promise you the snow and wind aren't trying to hurt you."

"Are you sure?" Julia whispered.

"She's right," Castle said then, holding up a flashlight. He pretended to try and turn it on, then; seeing Julia was looking at him; turned it on, pretending to be blinded by the light. "Come here," he said, seeing the tiny smile on the little girl's face. He motioned for her to come to him and when she was holding his hand, led her to the windows where he shone the light out. "See that, it's still doing the same thing, flying around like crazy but not going anywhere."

"I don't like the scream," Julia sighed. She was surprised when Castle handed her the flashlight and she pressed it up to the window before she shuddered and let go of his hand, running back to her mother.

"Well, since we have drinks," Castle said, a little disappointed he hadn't been able to comfort her. "Why don't we get started on dessert?" He watched Julia, seeing that the little girl looked up at her mother, a look of hopefulness on her face. "You want to help me?"

"Me?" Julia asked in surprise.

"Come on," Castle said, holding out his hand to her. He was pleased when she grabbed his hand, and led her to the kitchen where he took out the box of cookies. "It was a great idea to push your mom to make some more of these the other day," he told her as he got a plate and put the decorated sugar cookies out. "More?"

"Two more snowflakes," Julia said before she smiled as he held one out to her. "Thank you," she whispered, watching him pick up the plate and the electric lantern he'd brought with them. She held onto the side of his jeans with one hand as they went back to the others and she asked him, "Can I pass out the cookies?'

"Go ahead, but I wouldn't run, you might drop some, and I want to have another one," Castle said before he handed her the plate.

"Thank you darling," Martha said as Julia went to her. "And for coming to me first out of everyone in the room."

"I wanted you to see the cookies me and my mommy made," she said with a slight giggle. "And they're good."

"I know, they were wonderful on Christmas night," Martha said, taking one of them.

Beckett smiled slightly when her daughter came to her last and she quickly said, "Don't worry, I don't mind you coming to me last, it was very sweet of you to go to everyone else first."

"But there are still cookies Mommy," Julia said eagerly. "You can have one."

"I will, but how about I help you choose a game first?" Beckett asked.

"Can we play in the dark?" Julia asked, looking around the room.

"We can, or we can tell ghost stories that your mom will make faces at with every word I say… kind of like she's doing right now," Castle said, nodding to her.

"Let's try and play a game instead," Beckett said to her daughter. She almost started to stand up when Julia quickly spoke.

"I know what I want to play," Julia said. "Bugle."

"Boggle," Castle said quickly. "I'm glad you do, I wasn't sure that one was going to go over so well after Alexis got you Scrabble."

"It'll be easier for her," Beckett said. "Can you get it or do you need my help?"

"I'll get it," Julia said. She started to turn, but then paused and was about to speak when Castle stopped her.

"Here, this'll help," he said, standing up and shinning his flashlight in front of her.

Giggling Julia said, "I can see now."

"True, this makes me feel like an usher on Broadway. This way, this way, watch your step, enjoy the show," Castle said as they went over to her game, happy to hear the little girl's laughter at his voice.

When she had the game, Julia took the flashlight as she made Castle carry the game back, and she shook the light on the floor around before her mother called her over to sit with her. She almost kept playing with the flashlight, but Beckett and Castle were able to distract her and Alexis came over, taking it from her as discreetly as she could, Julia never really noticing as she was trying to learn how to play.

"She learns pretty quickly," Castle commented as they played a fourth round a while later and Julia was able to recognize the letters faster.

"She does," Beckett said. "And I'm glad you bought it, it'll help her become a better Scrabble player than you."

"I have my doubts," Castle said.

"Me too, what does that mean?" Julia asked.

Laughing for a moment, Castle then said, "I was just kidding, if you keep playing like you are now, your mom's right, you're going to be really good at spelling."

"But you play with words every day," Julia said. "I don't."

"Well… you never know," Castle said, wanting to comment on how she had said that, but backing off as he knew Beckett wouldn't appreciate it. "So one more time?"

"Yes," Beckett said, looking at her watch. "Let's see if you can win this time sweetie."

"Kay, but don't make me win," Julia said seriously to the others. She concentrated as hard as she could on the game, and was a little startled to find that she had won that round. She clapped happily and giggled as Alexis hugged her saying, "I never won by myself yet."

"You were close when we were playing Sequence earlier," Alexis reminded her.

"Can't I play more Mommy?" Julia asked as Beckett and Castle were putting the game away.

"Tomorrow we'll try," Beckett said. "I'm hoping though we can go outside. Say goodnight though, and I'll take you upstairs."

Julia hugged Alexis telling her, "Thank you for playing games with me too."

"It was fun," the young woman said. "Sleep tight Julia."

"Night," the little girl said before she stood up and hurried over to Martha. "Thank you for helping me," she said with a wide smile as Castle's mother had been giving her hints from time to time during the game.

"It was my pleasure, anything to help you beat my son at a word game," Martha said, hugging her. "It needed to be done. Sweet dreams Julia."

"Goodnight Martha," Julia said before she was suddenly being picked up.

"Okay if I carry you?" Castle asked as he set Julia on his hip.

"Yeah," she replied, wrapping her arms around him. "Oh, oh we didn't tell my mommy what we saw on your computer!"

"What?" Beckett asked, having been walking ahead of them.

"Castle showed me Paul on a show, and the man had a card, it said Paul's favorite color is blue," Julia said excitedly.

"Really? I didn't know that," Beckett said as they were entering the room. She took her daughter from Castle and said, "I don't know if we're going to read tonight sweetie."

"Oh please," Julia said as her mother set her on the bed and started to change her into her pajamas. "I don't wanna sleep if we don't."

"A little," Beckett said, realizing then that she was right; it was unlikely Julia was going to fall asleep with the blizzard still going on outside and needed something to make her sleepy. "Castle," she called when she had finished.

"Who's reading?" Castle asked as he went into the room and heard the water in the bathroom sink turning on. A muffled shout came from the room, and he went over to the doorway saying, "Was that you Julia?"

Nodding as best she could while her mother was brushing her teeth, Julia tried to get Beckett to stop so she could speak, but was unable to. "I want Mommy to read," she was finally able to say after she had rinsed out her mouth.

"Good idea," Castle said, picking her up as she ran to him. "What book are we reading?"

"The same as the other night," Beckett said simply.

"Which is what?" Castle said.

Shooting him a glare, Beckett picked up the book on the nightstand after she was on the bed, and waited for her daughter to crawl onto her lap. "I believe we left off," she started to say, opening the book. "When Laura was almost falling off the footbridge into the water. Here we go," she said, finding her spot. She was about to start reading when Julia suddenly cut her off.

"You have to sit here," the little girl said to Castle, her tone of voice a little stern. "So you can see the pictures."

"Oh, sorry of course, my mistake," Castle said, seeing Beckett was trying not to laugh. He moved to sit next to her, and waited for her to start reading; leaning against her so Julia could see that he was looking at the pictures.

Beckett read ten pages, but when she stopped she was a little dismayed to see that Julia wasn't even sleepy yet. She realized then it was going to take longer to get her daughter to bed with the sound of the storm. "Okay, that's enough for tonight," she said, setting the bookmark in between the pages before she waited for Castle to get up. She had started to put Julia under the covers when a gust of wind hit the window, and threw snow against it, making the little girl give a short shriek of fear.

"Mommy, no," Julia cried, throwing her arms around Beckett.

"It's okay," she said soothingly, trying to get her down on the bed. She was able to only as she sat on the edge, and tried to get Julia to let go of her.

Julia was shaking, and sobbing heavily as she could hear the screaming wind and the snow rasping at the window. "Please," she begged her mother, not really knowing what she was asking for.

"Here, lay down," Beckett said, grabbing her two dolls. She managed to get Julia to let go of her, and she started to get up when another gust hit the house. She wasn't too surprised when her daughter jumped up with a short scream, scrambling to grab onto her. "When did it get so bad?" she asked Castle rhetorically since the storm seemed to have suddenly intensified.

"I think your best bet is going to be letting her sleep in our bed tonight," he said as he watched the way Julia was shaking.

Sighing, since she knew he was right, Beckett stood up with Julia in her arms and said, "Calm down sweetie, we'll let you sleep with us tonight okay?"

"Kay," the little girl sniffled. She pulled back and looked at her mother asking, "Do you go to bed right now?"

"We'll go to our room," Castle said, picking up the lantern he'd brought up. "But your mom and I are going to make sure you can fall asleep first. I need to tell my mother and Alexis," he then said in an aside to Beckett.

"Go ahead," Beckett said, taking the lantern he gave her with her free hand. "Please be careful on the stairs."

"I know, go ahead and I'll join you," Castle assured her.

"Let them know I said good night," Beckett nodded to him. She then went down the hall and inside the bedroom laid Julia down on the bed. "Try and get to sleep okay?" she told her daughter gently, stroking her cheek with the backs of her fingers.

"Will you be here Mommy? And Castle?" Julia asked sleepily.

"We will," Beckett said. She tried to get her daughter to fall asleep, but Julia kept moving; seeming to try not to sleep; but she didn't try and stop getting her to nod off until she could hear footsteps outside the room.

"They're, she's not asleep?" Castle asked, coming in with a flashlight.

"No, I think she's waiting for you," Beckett said simply. "What did they say?"

"They're going up to their rooms for the night, and they said goodnight to you both," Castle said, sitting next to Beckett. "What's wrong Julia?"

"I didn't say goodnight to you," the little girl said in a soft voice.

"I see," Castle said. "You make a good point," he said as he stood up and then went to her, bending over to kiss her cheek before she kissed his in return. "Sleep tight Julia, your mom and I will be right there in front of the fire until we go to bed."

"Kay," Julia said softly. "Night Castle."

When he'd stepped away from the bed, Beckett leaned over and shared a kiss with her daughter before she stayed next to her until she was sure she was asleep. "Okay," she said once she had walked back to Castle who was sitting at the table in front of the fireplace. "She's asleep for now but I get the feeling that wind is going to wake her up."

"We can hope she's exhausted and she'll stay asleep," Castle said. "In the mean time, since I'm guessing you don't want to go to bed yet, how about a game?" he asked, motioning to the chessboard he'd set up.

Beckett nodded, and they began the game with her moving one of her pawns. They played silently, not really needing to speak to play. They tensed up at almost the same time whenever the wind's howling rose slightly. But Julia remained asleep until they had finished their second game and had gotten ready for bed.

At that moment, Beckett was about to get into bed when the wind rattled the windows a little noisily, and Julia jumped a little before she sat up. "It's just the wind sweetie," she quickly said to her daughter, touching her shoulder.

"Is it morning?" Julia asked in obvious confusion.

"Not yet, go back to sleep," Beckett said, kissing her forehead gently before she lay down with Julia curled up against her. She stroked the little girl's hair gently until she was finally back asleep, and she looked behind her to see Castle getting onto the bed.

"I'm hoping the weathermen were right," he told her. "And this was just for a day."

"Me too, I can't imagine having to go through this again," Beckett said with a sigh. "But at least she's sleeping."

"Yeah, I told you, here was the best place," Castle replied easily, trying not to let his slight smirk affect his tone of voice.

"I'm aware you're smug Castle," Beckett shot back, turning carefully to look at him. "And I honestly would have suggested the same thing if you hadn't said it first."

Castle was going to respond to that, but the wind blew hard again, and he was quiet, waiting to see if the sound had woken Julia up. He was a little surprised there was nothing from her, and he raised his head, looking at the little girl.

"She went through a lot today," Beckett said when he'd laid back down. "Did she let you comfort her when you found her?"

Nodding, though it was dark, Castle quickly explained what had happened when he'd gotten Julia out of her hiding spot. He felt Beckett's hand on his arm and when he finished he said, "I tried the best I could, I'm not sure if I really spoke to her like you would have but-"

"No, you can't always mimic me," Beckett said, interrupting him. "Especially since you're not just some guy trying to calm her down, you need to find your own way of being a father to her in this kind of situation. What you said worked though; it calmed her down for the time being. Thank you for doing that by the way."

"I had to do it," Castle shrugged. "You were sleeping and I wanted to make sure you wouldn't really get sick if you were suddenly stressing out about her. Plus it was heartbreaking to see her so scared."

"You're a good father," Beckett said. "So no more self-doubt concerning that okay?" She was surprised when he didn't answer, but she felt instead his hand sliding over her stomach and she quickly reached down, stopping him.

"What?" Castle asked, a little startled she'd done that.

"You're not trying to start something are you," Beckett whispered.

"No," Castle said in slight annoyance. "No I was just holding on to you." When Beckett nodded and then relaxed he couldn't help lean over and whisper in her ear, "But if we were alone you'd go for it right?"

Pushing hard on his shoulder, Beckett didn't bother to reply to that, instead she turned onto her side and wrapped her arms around her daughter. She wasn't too surprised when Castle pressed against her from behind and whispered an apology in her ear. She relented finally, and turned slightly to share a very quick kiss with him before they lay back down. That time when his hand grasped her stomach she didn't stop him, instead allowed him to do so before her hand covered his, giving it a squeeze as they fell asleep.


	9. 'Till The Night Is Gone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Hi, Hi, Hi by Paul McCartney, from his the 1993 release of the Paul McCartney and Wings album Red Rose Speedway.

Realizing that it was morning when he opened his eyes, Castle could feel the emptiness in his ears, and guessed that the blizzard had ended at some point the night before. He then looked next to him, and saw that also at some point Julia had ended up in between him and Beckett. She was curled up against her mother's front, looking peaceful. He smiled slightly and ran his hand over her hair before he got off the bed carefully so he wouldn't wake them up.

Walking over to the windows, he could see the sky was a bright blue, sun nearly blinding him on the thick blanket of snow that was on the ground. He breathed out slowly, almost whistling when he saw the snow had gone so far down it was almost at the breaking waves, amazed the storm had gotten that intense.

"Is it over?" Beckett said, wrapping her arms around him from behind.

"Yeah," Castle said, speaking in a low tone as she had. "But look at this."

Stepping around him, Beckett got a better look outside, and she said, "That's pretty incredible. Julia's going to love seeing this."

"Speaking of Julia, how did she end up in between us?" Castle asked her as they both looked at the little girl, alone on the bed.

"I don't know, when she's with me at night she moves around and more often than not in the morning she's on the other side of where she began the night before," Beckett said with a slight shrug. "But we know she slept at least."

"Or else she had to take care of herself," Castle commented as they glanced outside. "But I doubt that."

"You never said what that means," a voice said, making Castle and Beckett look down to see it was Julia.

"Good morning sweetie," Beckett said, reaching down and picking up her daughter. She kissed her cheek and asked, "How did you sleep?"

"Good," Julia said. She then turned to the window and gasped when she saw the snow. "Ooh, when did it do that?"

"That's from the end of the storm," Castle said. "It's pretty neat; someone could have a snowball fight that lasts for about five hours with that."

"Don't put ideas in her head," Beckett said, setting Julia back on the floor. "But you know, seeing the snow, and the fact it seems to be holding-"

"The pond should be ready?" Castle finished for her. When she nodded he said, "I'll check on that, but yeah, today would be a great day to skate."

"Would you like that sweetie?" Beckett asked, looking down at Julia.

"Yeah, but can we go out and play?" the little girl asked, pressed up against the window, looking out at the yard.

"Maybe when we come back," Beckett said as Castle left them. "If it's not too cold, but why don't we get you dressed and we'll go down and see what to do for breakfast."

"Kay," Julia said, though her mother had to almost pull her off the window. She sighed when they left the room and said, "Mommy, if I skate I'm gonna fall."

"Of course," Beckett said simply. She laughed softly at her daughter's surprise, and said, "That's what happens when you skate for the first time. It happens to everyone."

"Oh," Julia said. "What do I do if I fall?"

"Well, I'm going to try and make sure you don't because I'll hold on to you," Beckett said, putting her daughter's shirt on. "Sit down. And I'm sure Castle and Alexis will want to help teach you how to skate too."

"I hope so," Julia said, biting her lower lip for a moment. "I'm scared but excited Mommy."

"That's how I was the first time I went on the Cyclone at Coney Island," Castle said from outside the room. He waved his hand in the doorway and called, "Okay to come in?"

"She's dressed," Beckett said, shaking her head slightly; but smiling; as Julia laughed at him. "Once I finish her hair I'm leaving her to you," she teased him as he entered.

"That's fine, I need some help deciding what to do for breakfast," Castle said, sitting next to Julia as Beckett grabbed her daughter's brush.

"What about oatmeal?" the little girl asked. "Mommy said it makes you wake up."

"That's a good idea, and I do have actual oatmeal to make," Castle said, watching as Beckett easily began to braid Julia's hair on the sides of her head. "Can I count on your help this morning too?"

Julia nodded eagerly, and she got up on the bed as he turned around so she could climb up on his back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked down at her mother as he stood up. "I'm gonna help," she said proudly.

"I know, I'm looking forward to the oatmeal," Beckett said as she followed them out into the hall. She stood at the top of the stairs, watching Castle walk down; smiling when he responded to Julia's excited questions. When they had disappeared towards the kitchen, she turned and went back to the bedroom to get changed and join them.

* * *

"Alexis, we're waiting," Castle called up to the second floor.

"I had to find my hat," the young woman said, hurrying down. "Sorry, I didn't realize everyone was ready."

"Julia cooperated really well today," Beckett said. "She's ready to hit the ice."

"Me too," Alexis said, smiling at her. "I love your hat," she told the little girl as they followed Castle and Beckett outside.

"Thank you, I like yours too," Julia said, hopping a little nervously.

"Hurry sweetie," Beckett said when they had reached Castle's car. She helped Julia inside and was going to get her buckled in her car seat when Alexis took over. "Thanks," she said gratefully as her fingers were a little too cold to continue; having been helping Castle load the car with their skates. "Alright, she's ready," she told him as she got into the passenger seat. "I hope your mom got out to her friend's alright," she commented as he drove down the driveway carefully.

"They have the road cleared," Castle said as he was on the street outside the house. "And this one's one of the bigger streets in town, the pond and her friend's house is on it."

"She'll be alright, if she didn't think she couldn't get out there she would have insisted we take her," Alexis said from the back.

"Why didn't she?" Castle said.

"I don't know, you've known Gram longer, you should have a better idea why than I do," Alexis teased him.

"Your gram is a mystery sometimes," Castle said simply.

"Why didn't Martha come with us?" Julia asked.

"She's not much of a skater," Castle explained. "And as cold as it is, I can't imagine her sitting on the side of the pond watching. But you're going to love it Julia."

"He's right," Alexis said, smiling as Julia tried to get her chin out of her thick down coat. "It's a big pond, and they have a little waffle house."

"Waffle house?" Beckett asked.

"You'll see when we go. It's a tradition for me and Alexis, to get a waffle to eat while we skate, or sit down for a snack and skate again," Castle commented. "But I think this year we'll sit, that way Julia… and you can enjoy it your first time."

"Thank you for including me," Beckett said with a slight smile. "But it does sound interesting. And here we are," she finished with as she could see they were pulling into a large parking lot though it seemed to be mostly empty.

"Great, not a lot of people here," Castle said as he and Beckett got out once he'd turned off the car. "Should be easy to give Julia her lesson."

"It's not really a lesson," Beckett said as she went to the trunk with him. "But we'll see how she does."

Julia hurried to her mother once Alexis had helped her out of the car, and she jumped up to see into the trunk. "Do I have to put that on?" she whined when Beckett started to put on her heavy gloves.

"It's cold sweetie," Beckett replied easily, then wrapping Julia's scarf around the little girl's neck. "I don't want you to freeze. There, stay here until we go," she said before she took her scarf and threw it on before putting on her gloves. When Castle and Alexis were also ready, they headed out to the pond, having to hold tightly to Julia so she wouldn't slip on the snow though it was fairly soft.

"Do you need any help?" Castle asked as they went to one of the benches around the edge of the pond.

"I'm fine," Beckett said easily. "But Julia will need the help."

Nodding, Castle stood up once he had his skates on and stepped over to the little girl. "This'll just take a minute," he told her, seeing she looked a little anxious. "And I'll carry you out to the ice if you want me to."

"Please?" Julia said as she nodded. She watched then as he took off her boots and then put on her ice skates, taking off the covers on the blades. When he lifted her up, she wrapped her arms around him, but didn't wrap her legs around him.

"Try-" Castle started to say when he'd set Julia on the ice. But she started to slip and he grabbed her hands tightly to hold her up.

"Here," Beckett said, skating around to her. She knelt in front of her daughter and pulled up her scarf over her mouth before standing up. "Hold our hands tightly, and what you want to do is push your feet forward like this," she said as she demonstrated.

Julia gasped a little as she moved forward, since both Castle and Beckett began to skate, but they held her up. Seeing she was safe, she tried to move her feet forward as her mother had showed her. But she could only shuffle them before her left suddenly slid too far ahead of her. She would have fallen again, but she was helped back up and she said, a little frustrated, "I can't skate."

"You can, you just need to have some practice," Castle said reassuringly. "Keep moving your feet forward, but don't worry about slipping, we've got you."

Nodding, Julia tried to slide her feet, but she nearly fell again and reverted back to shuffling her feet. She tried not to cry, but she couldn't stop a few tears that fell down her cheeks.

"Sweetie here," Beckett said, taking Julia and setting her in front of her. "Keep your feet very still," she told her. "And I'll push us so you can see what you'll get to do once you skate."

Holding on tightly to her mother's arms, Julia squealed as Beckett began to skate forward, going slowly at first. But as she began to pick up a little speed, the little girl started to laugh as the cold wind blew at her face above her scarf. "Do that again!" she begged her mother when she stopped.

"Why don't we try to teach you to skate again?" Beckett suggested. When her daughter nodded she waited for Castle to skate back to them; having gone ahead; and told him, "Think you can do the same thing with her?"

"After I can," Castle said easily. "Come on Julia," he told her. "Let's try again."

Since Julia was still learning, Castle, Beckett and Alexis took turns helping her try out her skates, more people coming onto the pond as time passed. After they were there for nearly a half hour Castle; who had Julia in front of him; skated over to the little shack right on the pond's edge.

"I think you deserve a little snack," he told Julia who was looking up at him. "But first we better ask your mom."

"I wish I could skate like that," Julia said, both of them having turned to watch Beckett going across the pond to them.

"Keep practicing and you will," Castle said. "You're doing pretty good now though, especially since it's your first time skating."

"Am I?" Julia asked.

Before Castle could answer, Beckett reached them and said, "Julia, your scarf?"

"But my mouth isn't cold Mommy," Julia said simply.

"Alright, but if it gets cold then put your scarf back up. Are we stopping?" Beckett said, saying the last to Castle.

"I thought we could use a snack break," he said, gesturing to the shack.

"Good idea, what about Alexis?" Beckett asked, looking for the young woman.

Waving at his daughter, Castle watched as she skated over to them with another young woman. "Stephanie," he said when they had reached them. "It's nice to see you again."

"Hi Mr. Castle," the young woman said. "Sorry to intrude, but Alexis said you were having waffles and I couldn't resist coming over to get one for myself."

"Steph, this is Kate Beckett and Julia, her daughter," Alexis introduced them. "They're here for the holidays."

"Oh, I've heard about you," Stephanie said, shaking Beckett's hand. "Mr. Castle works with you doesn't he?"

"From time to time," Beckett replied, glancing at him. "It's nice to meet you, Alexis has told us about your party you're having for New Year's Eve."

"Yeah, it should be pretty fun," Stephanie said. She smiled down at Julia and then said, "I almost forgot Alexis, my parents are actually having a party tonight."

"Why?" Alexis asked in surprise. "New Year's Eve is only a couple of days away."

"For my uncle, he's going back to West Hollywood tomorrow morning," Stephanie said. "When I saw you were here I called my parents and we're inviting you to come."

"Thanks I'd love to go to this party too, your parents throw the best here," Alexis said.

"You're all welcome to come," Stephanie then said, talking to Beckett. "And your grandmother too."

"We'll come," Beckett said when Castle looked at her questioningly. "Is it alright for Julia to go?"

"Of course, my parents love kids, so they won't mind meeting her," Stephanie said. "There are going to be families there tonight, so other kids will be there," she said to Julia. "I'm sure they'll want to meet you."

Julia smiled slightly, holding on to Castle's hand tightly since they were still on the ice. "I'm thirsty," she whispered to him after tugging on his sleeve to get his attention.

"What time does the party start?" Beckett said as she took Julia from Castle.

"At five, which is early, but since there are going to be kids, my parents want to make sure they won't be asleep before the party starts," Stephanie said. "And in case you're wondering, it's pretty much a cocktail party, but there'll be drinks for kids."

"Sounds like it should be fun," Beckett said.

"Have you ever been to a party Julia?" Stephanie asked. When the little girl nearly slipped as she shook her head; trying to hide behind her mother; she smiled and said, "Don't worry, it's fun, and I can show you what I got for Christmas, I think you'll like it."

"What is it?" Julia asked shyly.

"You'll see tonight," Stephanie said. "I better get my waffle," she said as a group of people skated over towards them.

"No need," Castle said simply as he skated back to them, handing one to the young woman. "Here you go Julia," he said.

Looking at the small waffle Julia said, "Can I eat?"

"Check and see if it's too hot first," Beckett said. She took the one that Castle handed her and said, "Seems like an interesting idea, but what do they do in the summer."

"Snow cones," Alexis answered. "In the summer people just walk around, because of the trail, but some stop for a snow cone."

"Another tradition, interesting," Beckett said. She glanced down at Julia and said, "I think it was a good idea to come here."

Looking at the little girl then, Castle chuckled under his breath as Julia had crumbs all over her mouth and was trying to take a large bite. "I guess you like it?" he asked. When all he got was a nod in response he said, "We should have come sooner."

"Santa had to bring her skates before that Dad," Alexis said. "Listen, I'm going to skate with Stephanie, and then she wants me to come with her to see Jeannie, to invite her to the party tonight in person."

"Should be a good party," Castle said. "It sounds like you're inviting half the town to come."

"Not quite," Stephanie said with a smile.

"Pretty much everyone from the neighborhood though," Alexis said jokingly as her friend laughed. "I'll see you later back at the house."

"Bye Julia, see you later," Stephanie said.

Waving a little, Julia looked up at her mother and asked, "What do you do at a party?"

"At this one we'll probably just talk with the other people there," Beckett said, getting a napkin and wiping off her daughter's mouth. "So I guess you liked that?"

"Yeah, but I'm thirsty still Mommy," Julia said.

"Do you want to keep trying to skate?" Castle asked.

Shaking her head, Julia said, "I want to go home."

"I'll grab some hot chocolate," Castle told Beckett before he went back to the shack.

"Did you have fun?" Beckett asked her daughter as she picked Julia up and skated over to the bench where their shoes were.

"Little bit," Julia said. "Are we gonna skate again?"

"When we go back to the city I'll take you to skate in Central Park," Beckett said, taking off Julia's skates and getting her boots back on. "That way you'll be able to skate on your own one day."

"Can Castle come with us?" Julia asked after she was quiet for a moment.

"Sure, where am I going?" Castle said as he skated up to them with a tray of covered cups in his hands.

"To skate at home," Julia said, sliding off the bench and stomping her boots into the snow.

"In Central Park," Beckett told him.

"That sounds like fun," Castle said, watching Julia jump up and down. "Is she angry?"

"No, she's just testing to see if she can walk again," Beckett replied, watching her daughter too. "And apparently getting out some cabin fever issues I didn't realize she would have."

"Apparently," Castle echoed, taking off his skates. "You don't mind taking her to the party tonight."

"No," Beckett said simply, reaching out when Julia got close enough to her. "There's going to be other kids there, and I know you would have told me by now if there was something wrong with Stephanie's family; some reason why we shouldn't go."

"They're nice people," Castle said, nodding his head. "And she'll get to meet the neighborhood kids, they're nice," he said as he noticed Julia was looking at him. "How was your first time skating?"

"Mommy asked me," Julia said. "It was fun," she told him, smiling. She squealed when he suddenly picked her up, and she wrapped her arms around his neck saying, "Did you have fun?"

"I did," Castle assured her. "And I got your drink, but let's wait a little."

"It's too hot?" Julia asked, looking down at the tray he was holding in his hand.

"For right now," Castle said. "And I just got an awesome idea for lunch. But I'm hoping two things."

"What?" Julia asked, looking a little puzzled.

"One that you'll help me," Castle said. "And two that you like sandwiches."

Beckett had to smile as her daughter nodded rapidly to that, and she took her from Castle once they had reached his car. She got Julia set in her car seat before her daughter grabbed the collar of her jacket. "Okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," Julia said. "Can I have a kiss Mommy?" she asked shyly.

"Of course," Beckett said, leaning over and sharing one with her. She smoothed down Julia's hair after taking off her Stitch beanie, and kissed her forehead before getting out of the back seat. "That was interesting," she said, taking the tray of hot chocolate from Castle when he walked up to her.

"It was. And I wish we'd had the chance to do this earlier," he commented. "But there are rinks in the city, so we don't need to pack up the skates yet."

"Since we never went out to race cars, why don't we move it to the ice instead?" Beckett asked teasingly.

"I don't know, I'm pretty fast," Castle said before he gaze went down to her legs. "And I think I'm going to out match you in stride so it's not really fair."

"Really? Why don't we wait and put that to the test," Beckett replied. "I think I can easily keep up with you," she said, straightening his scarf then before pulling him close.

"Are we still talking about racing, or did this conversation slide into innuendo without me realizing it?" Castle asked.

"Well since you are a guy, probably the latter," Beckett said. She then pulled on his scarf again so he had to lower his head to come face to face with her, and she then told him, "But either way, I'm not kidding."

"Then you think we can test that theory, and sooner rather than later?" Castle asked. He wasn't too surprised when Beckett merely shot him a smirk before she opened the door and got into the car. Taking a deep breath, he walked around the car, trying not to look at her and let his mind go down a path of thought that would make it difficult for him to concentrate on getting them back to the beach house.

* * *

"I'm looking forward to the party," Martha was telling Beckett as they walked to the family room. "Gene and Penny insisted that their daughter and son in law are very gracious hosts, and that there will be other children there."

"I know, their granddaughter assured me of that too," Beckett said with a smile. "And I'm looking forward to seeing how Julia does," she commented when they entered the room. She paused for a moment when she saw the room was empty, and then shook her head as Martha glanced at her. "She probably went upstairs." Walking over to the bottom of the stairs she called out, "Julia?"

"Hey, where's Julia?" Castle asked, coming from the kitchen.

"Good question," Beckett said, starting up to the second floor. "Julia, sweetie, answer me."

"Why is the front door open?" Castle asked, looking at his mother who was in the doorway of the family room to see what was going on.

"I have no idea, I didn't notice it before," Martha replied, following him.

"Julia," Castle yelled when he saw the little girl under the tree across the driveway. He rushed outside into the light snow that was falling, and he picked her up, taking her inside. "You can't go outside like that, you're not even dressed for the cold," he said, lightly scolding her.

"Are you cold?" Beckett asked, holding open the screen door for him, having heard his yell.

"No," Julia said, though her teeth began to chatter. "I wanted to go outside," she said, almost sounding mad.

"Then you should have said something to us," Castle said, taking her straight to the family room where the fire was already on. "Here, can you feel your fingers. Move them like this," he told her, sitting down with her on his lap.

Julia did that a few times, but then she started to cry silently, large tears falling down her cheeks.

"Sweetie," Beckett said, taking her then. She kissed her daughter's cheeks and was relieved they were chilled but not freezing. "You need to stay inside if you're not going to put on your coat and gloves."

"But they were up high, I can't reach," Julia said rubbing her damp cheeks.

"Then you could have told one of us," Castle said. "We would have taken you outside to play if that's what you wanted."

"I wanted to see the snow, just for a little," Julia said. She sighed deeply as she felt warmer than before and said, "I'm sorry."

"Do you know what you're sorry for?" Beckett asked.

Nodding Julia said, "I don't go outside without warm things."

Castle laughed at that, starling the little girl, and said, "You're very smart Julia. You get that from your mom."

"I do?" Julia asked, looking slightly happy hearing that.

"He's right," Martha said. "And you learn from your mistakes quickly."

"Hey, what's going on?" Alexis said. "What happened?"

"Julia decided to check out the snow, as she is," Castle said, gesturing to her with his hand. "So are the guests all set?" he asked before Julia started to climb over to him.

Alexis smiled as the little girl hugged Castle tightly and answered, "They are, I have no idea how many people will be there though. The way things are going… twenty, thirty people?"

"Will there be enough room for that many?" Beckett asked, laughter in her voice.

"It's a very spacious house," Martha said. "And they go all out with their decorations."

"How?" Julia asked, getting down from Castle's lap and picking up her Stitch doll from the coffee table.

"They have different themes in each room," Alexis said.

"Now that I'm thinking about it," Castle said. "I should ask them to give you a tour Kate, their library is pretty impressive."

"That would be nice to see," Beckett agreed. "For now though, sweetie," she began, looking at her daughter.

"No!" Julia said, shaking her head furiously.

"I think your mom wants you to take a nap so you won't be tired tonight at the party and have to come home early," Castle commented.

Julia opened her mouth to protest, but then shut it quickly before realization spread over her face and she slumped, walking to her mother.

Beckett smiled at that, and picked up her daughter easily before leaving the room.

"I think you taught her really well Gram," Alexis said, amusement in her voice.

"That was pretty good," Castle agreed.

"Please, I only taught her to be naturally expressive," Martha said, waving her hand. "It helps when you're only four years old."

"That was fast," Castle commented as Beckett came into the room.

"She climbed into bed without a single argument. Either I'm getting better at that or she really wants to stay up tonight," Beckett commented as she went to sit next to him.

"Probably the latter," Alexis laughed. "I don't blame her for being so excited for the party. Speaking of which, I should head up and decide what to wear."

"She has a wonderful idea," Martha said, standing up before she left the room.

Once they were alone Beckett said, "Thanks for finding her faster than I did. I didn't even see the door."

"I know, I just noticed the cold," Castle said. "Or else she would have been outside a lot longer. But it's a really good thing she didn't think to close the door behind her. Proving that there is some good to being born in a barn."

"Right," Beckett said, shaking her head. She patted his hand and said, "Just don't tell her that or she'll never close a door again."

Chuckling, Castle stood up and followed her to the kitchen saying, "I'm kind of eager for tonight's party. I'll be able to introduce you to more of my friends here in the neighborhood… and there's the fact I get to see you in a dress again."

"Really? What if I went more casual," Beckett teased him, getting a bottle of water from the fridge.

"I doubt that, but feel free to dress as you want," Castle said. When she looked at him in puzzlement he quickly said, "I just realized I really don't care what you're wearing."

"Stop trying to kiss my ass Castle," Beckett scoffed before she left. "You can do that later," she called back to him, gesturing for him to follow her with her hand leisurely.

Tripping a little as he walked, Castle cleared his throat furiously at that, not seeing the wide smirk on his fiancée's lips as she easily heard his reaction. He hurried to catch up to her, taking her hand and pulling her inside of the family room after him.

* * *

Stepping out into the room, Beckett saw that Castle was sitting at the coffee table in front of the fire, reading a book to her daughter. She cleared her throat slightly and smiled when Julia gasped and jumped up.

"You look beautiful Mommy!" the little girl cried as she hugged Beckett tightly.

"Thank you sweetie, go ahead to your room and I'll get you changed," Beckett told her. When they were alone she spoke at the same time that Castle did, and she said, "Go ahead."

"I was going to say Julia's right, you look amazing," he said, walking over to her.

"I'm just lucky I had another dress with me," Beckett said. She let him kiss her, but when he pulled back and started to go to her exposed collarbone, she stopped him. "We have a problem," she told him, showing him her left hand.

"We do," Castle said. "I have the box still; I thought you might keep it there when you need to."

"I will," Beckett said, pulling the ring off. She took the ring box that he handed her, and set it down on what had become her nightstand. "Okay," she said, feeling a little strange without the weight of the ring; after four days she had become used to it around her finger. "I should get Julia ready."

Before she could pass by him though, Castle grabbed Beckett by the arms and kissed her, doing so slowly. When they parted to breathe he said, "Just wanted to get the point across, you look great."

"I think I got it," Beckett said, a slight smile on her face. She cupped his cheek and squeezed it before she left to get her daughter dressed for the party.

Waiting downstairs, Castle heard his mother and Alexis talking and looked up as they descended. "You both look ready to party," he said.

"It helps this party is happening right after Christmas," Alexis said. "New clothes."

"Of course," Castle said with a slight smile.

"Julia, you look so sweet," Martha said, having turned to the staircase then.

"Thank you," the little girl said shyly as she held her mother's hand and they went down the stairs together.

"Alright, I think we're ready," Castle said. He took Julia's hand as the others went to get their coats, and said, "You look very pretty, very much like a princess."

"I do?" Julia asked in something that sounded like relief. She looked down at her cerulean blue party dress and said, "I don't know how to be at a party with grownups."

"There's nothing much you need to do," Castle assured her. "Just act like you would with us, and you'll be fine."

Julia nodded, and she let her mother put on her coat then before she buttoned it herself as the buttons were large on it. She then watched as Castle helped Beckett into her coat and she frowned saying, "Do you have to cover your dress Mommy?"

"I can't really go outside in the cold without it," Beckett said as she took her daughter's hand. They followed Alexis outside to where the two cars were already parked, facing towards the driveway and she commented to Castle, "Great we got a break in the snow."

"I know," he replied, taking Julia into the back seat to put her in the car seat. "Although it is still cold."

"I'm fine," Beckett said easily. "Ready sweetie?"

"Yes Mommy," Julia said, though she struggled against the straps over her as her dress and coat were bulky.

"It won't take too long to get there," Castle said simply before he followed Beckett to the passenger seat. When he had opened the door for her, he couldn't help glancing at her legs as she pulled them into the car, and wondered about making a comment on what they'd been joking about earlier. But with Julia in the car he decided to wait for a better moment, and instead went around to get in, driving in front of Alexis before they reached the Welsh home two blocks away.

"You said their last name is Welsh?" Beckett asked as they were walking up to the house with Martha and Alexis.

"It is, usually when people ask them that they tend to have a whole, 'who's on first base' type of conversation," Castle said. "But they are actually from Wales so either meaning works."

"You'll see some decorations from the country," Alexis commented as she rang the doorbell. "You should check out the love spoons, they're amazing."

Beckett was a little confused by that, but the door opened, and a man; who she guessed was Stephanie's father; ushered them inside after greeting Castle and Alexis. She smiled at Stephanie and two other people who were inside the foyer behind them, before she felt Julia holding onto her tightly.

"It's great to see you again Dylan, thank you for the invitation," Castle said once they had taken their coats off. "This is Kate Beckett and her daughter Julia."

"Stephanie told us we would be having two extra guests," Dylan Welsh said, shaking Beckett's hand. "The more the merrier. And it's wonderful to meet you Julia," he waved slightly to the little girl who was hiding behind her mother.

"And this is Violet, Stephanie you know already," Castle said. He greeted Dylan's wife before looking at the middle-aged man that had been standing with them who he had never met before.

"This is my brother," Violet said. "Brian Bay."

Beckett shook the man's hand when he stepped up to her, and she had a slightly uncomfortable feeling, his eyes instantly bringing back memories she did not want to think about that night. She slid her hand from his grasp before she heard her daughter gasp loudly as the sound of snorting reached them.

"A puppy!" Julia cried, spying the little Pug puppy as it went to Stephanie.

"This was the present I told you about. His name is Frank," the young woman said, picking up her dog and going to Julia. "Want to hold him?"

"Can I?" Julia asked eagerly.

"Go ahead," Beckett said when everyone looked at her. She smiled as Julia held the little puppy and then started to giggle when it licked her chin.

"You're actually the first people here," Dylan said. "So since we have the time, would like a tour of the house?'

"That would be nice," Beckett said. "I know my daughter would love to see your decorations. What you have here is impressive."

"Thank you, I can assure you we did much the same with the other rooms we have," Violet said, walking to the room to the right of the foyer. "And I don't know if you heard at all, if Alexis or Richard told you Julia, but we use different themes in each room for Christmas."

Julia smiled and nodded her head, but didn't say anything before she hurried to take her mother's hand as Beckett and Castle followed Violet. When they entered what was the dining room she gasped as she saw the ornaments looked familiar. "Are they from England?" she asked, forgetting her shyness.

"They are, this year we were having a harder time than normal thinking of themes, and my husband had a map from National Geographic, of the world," Violet explained. "And we decided why not just get some darts, throw them at random and see if it was a country we could use as a room's theme."

"Did you have to redo any throws?" Castle asked.

"A number of them," Violet said, laughing slightly. "But in the end, they came out really well. We left the foyer and living room for our traditional decorations, but you'll like the others we came up with. Would you like to see the kitchen?"

"You decorated the kitchen?" Julia asked in surprise.

"Come and look," Violet said with a smile, holding out her arm.

"Go ahead," Beckett said reassuringly before Julia hurried after the woman and they went to the kitchen. "They do amazing work," she commented to Castle when they were alone.

"My sister has always loved Christmas," a voice said before Castle could say anything, startling them. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to get some wine," Brian said. "Excuse me."

"We should continue," Beckett said, a little unsettled as she got the feeling that he'd actually been behind them for a while, watching them. She walked towards the kitchen, and could see that Violet was talking to Julia in the family room.

"I was debating if I should head upstairs or wait for you," Violet said as Julia ran to take her mother's hand. "You see the kitchen; we got Germany with that throw. And here Hawaii."

"Sounds like it was really interesting," Castle said. "Picking out these countries. Though Hawaii-"

"That was Stephanie," Violet said with a laugh. "She insisted we stick with Hawaii when Dylan threw the dart."

"I told Mom that Hawaii was its own country before, so it still worked for our theme," Stephanie said, coming into the room with Alexis.

"Since we're all here," Violet then said. "I can show you upstairs now; do you like to read Julia?"

"I don't know how, only a little," the little girl said shyly. "But my mommy reads to me."

"So you like books," Violet said. When Julia nodded she smiled and said, "Then follow me, you're going to love this room." She led them upstairs, and stepped up to a doorway before saying, "Our library."

Beckett's mouth opened slightly in shock; not realizing that Castle was watching her with a small smile on his face. She stepped inside the room fully and took in the shelves of books in what seemed like a very high ceiling for an upper story room. "This is amazing," she said in awe.

"If you're wondering how this works architecturally, we took out the attic," Violet said, seeming to be pleased at her reaction. "We store what we need in the basement, and my husband loves to read, so it just seemed to naturally work out. And we have a wide assortment of books. We travel a lot, and pick up what books we can. Feel free to look around."

"I think we should finish the tour," Beckett said, watching as Julia was looking at a bookcase that had children's books on it. "And then come back here to look."

"I told you," Castle said, as Beckett grabbed her daughter.

"I know, it's… incredible. I'm surprised you don't have a similar room at your home," she told him as they left.

"There wasn't really much choice in the houses available to buy at the time," Castle said. "And it helps it's only a summer home."

Beckett nodded in response, and followed him to the bedrooms and study, all decorated in the same themes of different countries. She smiled when Violet led them back to the library, urging them to look around while she headed down to greet the guests that were just arriving. "I really don't think I would leave here," she commented. When Castle looked at her in confusion she said with a smile, "If I had no job of course."

"Can we read a book Mommy?" Julia asked, back at the kid's books.

"I don't think so sweetie," Beckett said, looking at a shelf and seeing they were books on history. "But maybe later tonight if we don't get back to the house too late we can read one of your new books. Come on," she said, holding her hand out to her daughter. "We should get back to the party."

Heading downstairs, Castle saw a few familiar faces among the crowd, and a few couples came over to him and Beckett. He introduced her and Julia, and was talking to the wife of the couple that lived next door to the Welshes when he saw a family walk inside. He took Beckett's arm after excusing them from their conversation, and led her and Julia over to the foyer.

"Rick, Kate, I was wondering if we would see you here," Rebecca Foster said, walking over to them with her daughter Mari. "It's great to see you yet again."

"It's nice to see you, and Mari," Beckett said, looking down at Julia. "Do you remember her?"

"Yeah," Julia said, nodding as she waved at the girl, and Mari waved back.

"Why don't you go with Julia and look at some of the ornaments on the tree in there?" Rebecca told her daughter, pointing to the large Christmas tree in the living room.

"Go ahead, but don't go outside sweetie," Beckett said when her daughter looked up at her eagerly for permission. She smiled widely when the two girls hurried hand in hand over to the tree and said, "Where's your son?"

"He ran off with the other kids outside," Rebecca's husband said, approaching them. "The older kids," he amended. "I'm assuming our daughters have done the same?"

"Pretty much," Beckett said with a slight smile.

"Excuse me," Brian said then, walking over to the group. "My sister is serving drinks, and the food is ready. Do you think I can make you a drink Kate? I actually did some bartending in college, I make a mean Manhattan."

"No, thank you that's… that's fine," Beckett said, trying to get her arm out of his sudden grip as subtly as possible. She gave him the best smile she could manage, before she stepped back to Rebecca saying, "So how has your Christmas been?"

Castle had noticed the exchange, and he eyed Violet's brother, having gotten a strange vibe from the man that he did not like. When they entered the kitchen, he watched as the man poured himself a half cup of scotch and warning bells went off in his head as Brian then proceeded to down it in two quick gulps without much time to breathe. He glanced at his fiancée, for a moment cursing her bare left hand, but knowing her ring likely wouldn't have kept Brian from eyeing her the way he was at that moment. He was distracted then by another woman; one he recognized with an inward groan as one who liked to flirt a little too heavily with him for his tastes whenever he saw her in town; but he was trapped when Dylan Welsh joined them, and he did his best to try to keep his gaze going back to Beckett, knowing she could easily take care of herself. But he still wanted to make sure she was alright, not able to shake that protective instinct as he spoke about something he wouldn't be able to recall five seconds after the words left his mouth.

Sitting on the couch with Mari Foster, Julia was playing with Stephanie Welsh's puppy. They were helping it stand up on its back legs, before they pet it, uncurling its tail to watch it curl up again, which the puppy seemed to enjoy. She was watching Mari trying to keep the puppy from licking her face and laughing when someone sat next to her. At first she didn't pay the person any attention, guessing it was either her mother or Castle.

"That puppy is pretty cute," Brian Bay said to the little girl.

Tensing up immediately, Julia looked at the man and scooted over closer to Mari, taking the puppy from her. She didn't say anything, just pet the Pug and let it lick at her cheek before she buried her face into its fur, hoping he would leave her alone.

"You know I'm trying to talk to your mom," Brian said gently. "How about I go with you to talk to her?"

Julia didn't say anything then, but merely gave Mari the dog before she slid off the couch and ran away as fast as she could. She had no idea where she was going, but when she reached the family room she wove her way through the guests, and grabbed someone as tightly as she could.

"Excuse me for a second," Castle said quickly to the people he was talking with. He picked Julia up and carried her to the stairs which were empty of any guests at the moment. "What's wrong?" he asked the little girl who was shaking a little.

"He wanted to get my mommy," Julia whispered. "He wanted me to get Mommy."

Castle tensed up at that, and quickly calmed her down, knowing her fear wasn't an exaggeration. With everything she had been through, she seemed to sense when something was wrong a lot faster than most kids her age; especially when it involved a man. "Okay, then why don't we find your mom, and go home?" he asked her, not surprised when she nodded her head furiously. "Let's go look for her together," he said, trying to set her down but she wouldn't let go of him. He relented, and walked over to the dining room and kitchen, trying to find Beckett and hoping Violet's brother; who he knew already had scared Julia; wouldn't find her first.

* * *

As Julia was running off to find Castle, Beckett was standing with Rebecca Foster in the library where they'd ended up meeting after talking with Violet and Dylan Welsh. They were talking about their holidays, and Beckett was giving her basic information, until Rebecca suddenly nodded to her necklace.

"That's pretty impressive," the woman said.

"This? I bought it-" Beckett said.

"I don't think that's going to work," Rebecca said with a smile. "I know already about you two. So was there a ring to go with that aquamarine."

"You… how did you guess that?" Beckett asked in shock.

"You've been running your thumb along the bottom of your ring finger," Rebecca said as they both looked down at Beckett's left thumb doing that at that exact moment.

"Is it that obvious?" Beckett sighed, giving up then, having picked up that habit since she'd first started wearing the ring.

"Not really, I don't think the others here really care what's going on with you," Rebecca said. "Certainly not Fiona Jacks," she said in annoyance as she took a sip of her wine.

"That I noticed," Beckett said. "Is she always that… aggressive?"

"You don't care that she is?" Rebecca asked in surprise at her tone of voice.

"I know Castle," Beckett said. "He likes when women flirt, but not when they use really stupid overtures that she was saying."

"Well, you sound like you're pretty lucky," Rebecca said with a smile. "What about Julia?"

"He asked to adopt her," Beckett said simply, knowing that the woman had actually been asking if Julia was okay with the engagement. "We had to kind of assure Julia that it was a good thing; as was the engagement; but she's fine with it now."

"Then congratulations," Rebecca said. "I think right now though I'm in the mood for something sweet."

Beckett smiled after the woman, and turned to the shelves next to her before she headed towards the back of the room. There she found the fiction books, and she looked through the titles, not surprised to come upon Castle's books when she reached the C authors. She heard the scuff of a shoe on the floor, and she whirled around.

"Sorry," Brian Bay said, walking up to her with a smile that looked more like a smirk on his face. "I'm checking to make sure my sister's guests are enjoying themselves."

"I am, excuse me, I could use some more wine," Beckett said, her heartbeat speeding up a little as she remembered that they were alone. She tried to walk past him, when he took her wine glass from her and took her arm a little hard again.

"You don't seem to really want to talk to me," Brian said in a silky smooth voice. "I swear I'm not Jack the Ripper, I just want to get to know you a little better. My room-"

Just as Beckett was going to slap the man in the face, a voice from the door called, "Kate."

Turning rapidly, Beckett saw that it was Castle, and he was holding her daughter. She wrenched her arm from Brian's hand saying, "Excuse me," as icily as she could, and walked out, her shoulders squared as she tried to calm herself down. She didn't say anything until they were outside the room and at the landing of the stairs, turning to him.

"We need to go home," both spoke at the same time.

Looking a little confused, Beckett said, "Why do you need to go? I can take Julia back if you'll let me use your car."

Shaking his head Castle said simply, "I find myself not so much in a partying mood anymore."

"Oh, then I guess we should tell your mother and Alexis and go," Beckett said simply before Julia whimpered a little.

Nearly at the same time, Castle and Beckett turned and saw Brian at the top of the stairs. Putting his hand on her back, he ushered her down the rest of the way saying, "He's not going to bother you anymore."

Beckett was a little confused at first, wondering if he was talking to her or Julia. But they began to look for Martha and Alexis, so she was distracted until they had left the house after making their excuses to their hosts and saying goodbye to those they knew. All the time while Violet's brother was hovering around them, looking angry from Beckett's very obvious rejection. As they were walking to his car, Beckett asked Castle, "What happened?"

"We can talk about that later," he said simply. He got Julia in her car seat for Beckett, and when he was in the driver's seat, looked back at the little girl.

"I think she's alright now," Beckett said simply, looking back at her daughter with him. "Let's get back to the house though."

The drive back to the beach house, while short, was silent, Castle and Beckett trying not to mull over what had just occurred and Julia nibbling on the sleeve of her coat. When they were back inside the house, the little girl looked up at them and asked, "Do I have to go to bed?"

"No," Beckett said. "Since we didn't stay that long at the party, we can watch something together."

"Ooh, can I pick?" Julia asked, looking a little happier.

"How about _Wingspan_?" Castle suggested. "Your mom said it was alright to watch." When Julia nodded he then asked, "How would you like some dessert?"

"Yes please," Julia said immediately, almost before he had finished saying dessert.

"Go ahead and wait for us then…" Beckett began to say when Julia suddenly shook her head no furiously, grabbing her skirt before she held out her hand for her daughter to hold.

"I think I better tell you what went on with her," Castle sighed, having wished he could push the incident aside. He explained how Violet's brother had tried using Julia to get to her, and he finished saying, "So basically he saw trying to suck up to her as getting you to notice him."

"Then he's more of an idiot than I thought," Beckett said angrily. "Sweetie," she then said, kneeling slightly so she could be somewhat face to face with her daughter. "You did the right thing going to Castle, and I'm sorry I wasn't downstairs when you needed me."

"It's okay Mommy," Julia said earnestly. "I know Castle will take me to you. Did that man hurt you?"

"No, I'm fine," Beckett said, standing up. She jumped slightly when Castle raised the right sleeve of her dress and said, "He didn't hurt me."

"Are you sure? Because it looked like he had you in a pretty good grip," Castle said, though he didn't see any discolored skin.

"I was going to slap him before you came in," Beckett commented as he let her go. "I really should have kneed him, but you coming in was good enough. It got the point across."

"And without any possible assault charges from him," Castle said, shaking his head. "Since that's finished, why don't we get her dessert and start _Wingspan_ before she needs to go to bed?" he asked, indicating Julia who was watching them closely.

"I don't know, sweetie, what do you think?" Beckett asked her daughter.

"I want dessert Mommy. Please," Julia said firmly. She smiled when her mother laughed slightly, relieved that she was alright. She giggled a little herself in response as they followed Castle to the kitchen, and while they were getting some coffee and hot chocolate made, she spun at the entrance to the room, wanting to watch her skirt bell out around her.

"I have a surprise for her," Castle said, sliding his hand very carefully over Beckett's waist, wanting to see if she could be okay with that.

Smiling; as she had quickly guessed what he was doing; Beckett turned to him and said, "And what is it?"

"Julia," Castle said, gently squeezing Beckett before he let her go. "Come here."

"Is my chocolate ready?" Julia asked, hurrying over to him.

"Not yet, but you didn't ask what we were going to have for dessert," Castle said.

"Oh, what are we gonna have?" Julia asked pleadingly.

Castle smiled at that, and stood up straight, going over to a cabinet where he pulled out some candy bars and a bag. "I've been saving these for a while… well, I forgot about them but just remembered. Sorry," he said quickly before Julia reassured him it was alright. "But they're from England," he then handed them to the little girl, holding back the bag.

"They are?" Julia asked eagerly, looking at the bars.

"They were made by Cadbury," Castle said. "And these," he told her, shaking the bag. "Are jelly babies."

"They are?" Julia asked again with a gasp. "They were George's favorite; they threw them at him here when they were singing. Oh, but they weren't babies."

"Jelly beans," Beckett said with a smile, guessing her daughter was trying to remember. "But how did you get these?" she asked Castle.

"A little shop on Lex, very small, with a lot of British stuff; actually from all over the UK and Ireland," Castle said. "I'll have to take you there when we're back in the city."

"Pick one thing for dessert sweetie," Beckett then told Julia. "The rest we'll save for another night."

"Kay, these," Julia said, pointing to the bag.

"Go ahead and set up the movie," Castle told them. "I'll take care of the drinks."

Beckett ushered her daughter to the family room, and started the movie before putting it on pause as they waited for Castle. As she sat next to Julia on the couch she cuddled her close and kissed her temple asking, "Are you okay sweetie?"

"Yeah, I wanna see Paul," Julia replied, hugging her back.

"You will right now," Castle said, coming up behind them. "Go ahead and start."

Julia jumped up and down until her mother started to read the words that came up on the screen for her. She clapped when Paul first appeared with a woman interviewing him, and whispered to Castle, "That's Mary."

"I know," he whispered back, smiling at her enthusiasm. He glanced at Beckett and reached over to her and brushed his finger tips along her neck, watching as she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, reaching up and squeezing his hand before looking ahead at the TV again.

* * *

"And did you see Paul riding the horsie? Linda was riding too," Julia was telling Castle eagerly as she started to jump up and down on her bed.

"I saw," he replied as he was waiting for Beckett to bring her daughter some water before tucking her in.

"It was like you and Mommy riding horsies," Julia said. "I wanna ride a horsie," she sighed deeply.

"When you're a little older," Beckett said, coming inside the room. She handed the glass to Julia and once she had taken a few sips she took it back, setting it on the nightstand before she saw her daughter was jumping up and down. "Okay, tomorrow you can ride your horse, right now though you need to sleep," she said, grabbing Julia and stopping her to her giggle.

"Good night Julia," Castle said as she walked unsteadily on the bed to him. He hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek as she kissed his, and he picked her up, cradling her in his arms before he slipped her under the covers.

"Did you have a nice time at the party before we left?" Beckett asked as she covered Julia securely.

"Yeah, I liked seeing Mari again, and the puppy was cute," Julia giggled. She then grew serious and asked, "Can't we have a puppy Mommy?"  
"I wish we could, but we're not home that much, so it's probably better if we don't," Beckett said; having had to answer that same question a number of times already. "But remember, you do have Kauai."

"Is he okay?" Julia asked.

"Definitely," Castle answered. "He's probably enjoying having your room to himself; it has to feel like a mansion he's so small."

Giggling at that, Julia nodded and said, "Do I have to sleep?"  
"Yes, but tomorrow before Castle and I leave we'll do something together okay? Just us two," Beckett said, leaning down to hug her daughter tightly. They shared a kiss and she pulled back saying, "Sweet dreams Julia, I love you."

"Love you Mommy," Julia said with a wide smile though it was a little sleepy. "Night Castle."

Waving from the doorway, Castle watched as Beckett kissed her daughter's forehead, and then walked over to join him. They watched Julia for a moment, then he reached around her to turn off the light before they left the little girl to sleep, Beckett closing the door behind them. Waiting until they were going down the stairs, he asked her, "Any plans for now? Still early."

"I was thinking about watching another of the movies you got for her," Beckett said, gesturing her hand to Julia's room.

"Great, which one?" Castle asked.

"The _Anthology_ series," Beckett said easily as they entered the family room. "I saw you looking at it the other day. You don't have this?"

"It wasn't really something I thought of buying, or watching," Castle said as he took the first disc and went to put it in the player. "But when I was looking around for movies for Julia that was one that popped up."

"I've never seen this either, so it should be interesting," Beckett said. "I'm really wondering though if she'll be able to watch this right now."

"We'll soon find out," Castle said, playing the first episode on the disc before he went to sit next to her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and as they were watching he couldn't help but remember seeing her with Brian Bay in the library of the Welsh's home. It also didn't help that he couldn't stop himself from stroking her upper arm, right where the man had grabbed her.

"So if this follows the same path as the first two episodes," Beckett said, sitting up once the second part of the show was finished almost two hours later. "I really don't think I can let her see this until she's much older. Which is a shame, I know she'd love seeing them."

"She does have their first two movies," Castle commented, standing up to put the disc away. As he did so, he turned to Beckett and said, "You're okay?"

"What, you want me to be screaming in terror, demanding charges be brought up against him for attempted assault and solicitation?" Beckett asked, confused that he was bringing that back up.

"Solicitation? What the hell did he say to you?" Castle said, startled to hear that.

Beckett sighed, knowing she couldn't really lie to him at that point, and said, "He mentioned his room down the hall. That's it, it wasn't anything serious and you cut him off when you came to the doorway with Julia."

"It's still solicitation," Castle said angrily.

"It's not, I was kidding Castle," Beckett said, surprised at how irate he'd become. "It was a pick up line, and an epic failure at the same time. So don't start running back to the Welshes and start trying to start a duel with him."

"That's not what I'm going to do," he told her. He threw the DVD case down on the coffee table and said, "But you're just going to let him go without-"

"My rejection of him is the only thing that will get to him," Beckett said, standing up then. "If I had screamed for help, or tried to fight back it would have made things worse."

"Then it was a good thing I got there in time," Castle said.

"I would have been able to handle him," Beckett said, trying to control her own anger. "Or what, you think I would have just swooned at his feet and been powerless to do anything else."

"No, but you didn't even try to fight back," Castle said.

"Do you think I was asking for it," Beckett asked, her heart twisting sickeningly at the realization of that. "Do you think I invited his overtures, his… touching me? Are you out of your mind?"

"You didn't do a thing to stop him before," Castle said, his voice rising in volume; as had hers. "You could have easily told him you were taken."

"That was pretty obvious because for a while I didn't go too far from you," Beckett said. "I thought he realized that and I did want to talk to Rebecca Foster. Did you want me to scream out that I'm going to eventually be your wife? Or call for you to help me?"

"Yes," Castle said simply.

"I can't believe you, Castle, I'm not going to listen to this because you're being ridiculous," Beckett said, shaking her head. "I can take care of myself and I don't think I need to hear this macho spiel from you. Especially when I thought you were better than that. I'm going to bed, and I'll be taking the extra bedroom. Goodnight." She had never felt so angry at Castle before, having thought he admired her strength. But as she reached the doorway and took one step out into the hall she stopped abruptly, turning to him. "This is about Harris isn't it?" she asked as she saw he had his face buried in his hands.

"Yeah," Castle said, his voice hoarse as he looked at his hands. "I'm sorry about that Kate," he said, suddenly standing. He wanted to go over to her, but hesitated, not sure if she would want him to. "But seeing him, the way he was with you, it brought back the report about what happened to you in Queens."

"You would think we'd be over this," Beckett said, walking over to the couch and sitting down, motioning for him to do the same. She was a little dismayed when he sat, and there was a space between them. To correct that, she turned, so their knees were touching.

"I know you could have easily, very easily taken care of yourself with him," Castle said quickly. "But seeing the way he was touching you…"

"You got jealous too," Beckett supplied.

"A little," Castle said honestly. "I couldn't really help it; you don't really have anything to tell other men you're not exactly… single."

"I would say being engaged means I'm definitely not," Beckett said, smiling slightly. She felt a slight sense of relief when he smiled briefly back at her, and she said, "But I know I'm not single Castle, and if I don't wear the ring, you should consider this as good as an engagement ring."

"The pendant?" Castle asked, seeing she was tapping her finger on the aquamarine. "You make a good point," he said.

"Of course I do. But I'm being serious, I'm going to remember very easily that I really don't want to find someone else, I'm happy where I am," Beckett said simply.

"That'll be what I'm thinking too, whenever I see this," Castle said, holding the pendant up against his fingertips.

"Copy-cat," Beckett teased him. She smiled when he frowned at her, but it quickly slid into a smile as he took her hand. She was a little surprised when she suddenly felt the cool band of the ring sliding down her ring finger, and she looked down at it as she squeezed her hand around his.

"I'm sorry Kate," Castle said, not sure how else to word that except as simply as possible.

Hearing the very earnest tone of his voice, Beckett nodded and said, "I know. But are we set now with this? Harris and us?"

"For the moment," Castle nodded. "I think though that we're always going to have some… tension with that, it seems to be the way we are."

"True, but it makes things a little interesting," Beckett said with a smile. "Although I could do without the fights. But," she shrugged. "Good luck with that."

"Yeah," Castle chuckled softly. He leaned over and brushed his lips against her gently, slowly, trying to see if she was okay with it. He was a little startled when she threw her arms around him, and he was suddenly lying back on the couch. But that was enough for him, and he deepened the kiss, feeling her fingers sliding up his neck, nails raking, and making him shudder in pleasure.

When they pulled away, Beckett wasn't too surprised when Castle grabbed her hand, and took her upstairs to their room. Inside, she went to the bed, sitting at the end of it while he closed and locked the door. Crossing her legs, she smiled as she watched him turn on the fire before coming over to her. She was going to stand, but when he knelt in front of her she stopped herself, waiting to see what he would do. "You do know I took your apology right? I forgave you," she said quickly when he picked up her right foot and proceeded to unbuckle the strap on her shoe.

"I'm aware of it," Castle said simply as he pulled it off, letting his hand slide along the bottom of her foot. He did the same with her other shoe, and once they were off, kissed at her ankle before he slid his lips up her leg. He could easily hear the sound of her breathing, growing a little faster, and from time to time suddenly pausing. He went up to the point where the hem of her dress began, and began to slide his hand underneath it when she grabbed him.

Moving his hand away easily, Beckett stood and walked over to her side of the bed, knowing he was following her. She tensed for a moment when he grabbed for the zipper on the back, and she hurriedly turned around, kissing him deeply to distract him.

A little in shock when she suddenly pulled away, Castle recovered quickly, toeing off his shoes as she slid his jacket off his shoulders. He followed her onto the bed, trying to slide his hand under her dress again. But she stopped him, pulling his arms to wrap around her waist as she kissed him deeply again. He wanted to get her undressed at the very least, but as they were touching each other, he decided he could let it wait; if only for a short time.

As Castle moved to lie on top of her, Beckett found herself having to push or move his hands away from her. She had a feeling he still wanted to in some way make up for what he had said during their argument, but she wanted something completely different. She arched her neck as his lips moved over it, and she felt his hands under her, unzipping her dress. She was able to realize what he was doing, and she quickly stopped him by running her hands over his neck before slipping one under his shirt.

"Kate," Castle groaned against her lips as he was forced to grab her tightly. He had managed to get the dress open enough to slide it down her shoulders a little, but since the entire dress was incredibly tight, it wasn't enough for him. He still kissed around her collarbone, down as far as the neckline had gone, a little annoyed when he discovered it stopped from exposing her breasts. So he went back up to her lips, and kissed her hard, reaching down to try; yet again; to get under her skirt at least.

Grabbing his hand, Beckett entwined their fingers together, finding it easier to control him doing that. She gasped and pulled away from their kiss as he suddenly moved, rolling onto his back, his lips all over her neck. But she could feel his free hand on her back, sliding down it and spreading her dress further apart. To quickly regain control, she moved away from him, lying on her back as he hurriedly moved to follow her.

"Let me…" Castle started to say, trying to grab the sides of her dress to start pulling it down. But when she took his wrists and pulled them away he quickly took them from her grasp, and slid his hands underneath her, trying to content himself with just touching her skin. He wasn't too surprised when she kissed him, and he was swift to respond before he reached up and grabbed the short sleeves tightly in his hands.

Holding onto his wrists again, Beckett opened her eyes as he pulled away from her. They stared into each other's eyes, for what seemed like an eternity, before he took her lips with his own, and hard. She let him, as it allowed her to get him to let go of her dress. She ran her fingers through his hair then once he had relaxed his grip on her, and she became a little unsure of where his hands were until he pulled away slowly, their breaths mixing in between them.

"Kate, please," Castle said, not really caring that he was outright begging her. He was too excited and needed her too badly to waste time. He was surprised when she pushed him up off of her slightly, thinking for a second that she was angry at what he'd said. But as he watched, she managed to make her way out of the shoulders of her dress, and he reached down immediately, pulling the bodice from her chest.

Cupping his face in her hands, Beckett drew him to her lips for a careful kiss. She was relieved when he didn't try to force her to hurry, and to reward him in a way she took his right hand and drew it down in between their bodies. As his hand palmed her breast, she shook for a second, the sensation like a jolt of energy in her that made her entire body react. She wasn't surprised when he moved down then, replacing his hand with his mouth. She almost smiled, as that had calmed him down more than anything else she could have done, but the pleasure that she was getting from him stopped her.

Sliding his hand up Beckett's neck as moved up, Castle kissed her deeply before pulling back and watching as his put his hand on her abdomen, under her dress. He felt her tense but very quickly relax, and he pushed the black fabric down, checking to make sure that she was alright with it. When she didn't move or protest, he decided he didn't want to go slowly anymore, and he hurriedly pulled it off the rest of the way. He helped her with his shirt, before they seemed to be in a race to undress each other. He laid her back as soon as they had finished; helping her with the rest of his clothes since she had been wearing far less than him; and he moved to cradle his hips against hers, not entering her yet, wanting to see what she would do.

Nearly smiling, Beckett was careful not to let her frustration show up on her face, and instead she reached up in between their bodies. She touched his chin with a light brush of her fingertips, then slid them down his neck and to his chest. She let him kiss her as she wrapped her leg around his waist, and allowed the other to bend slightly at the knee. When he pulled away; and realized how she had positioned herself; she watched him move carefully. But before he could get close to entering her, she easily stopped him by placing her hands on the small of his back.

Groaning as he realized what she was doing again, Castle finally couldn't control himself, and though he knew he was taking a risk, he grabbed her wrists, and placed her hands flat on the bed next to her head. He kissed her hard, feeling the bruising pain in his lips as he shifted his body slightly. He nearly groaned again, and held her wrists with one hand above her head before he thrust hard into her, hoping that he wasn't hurting her as he was doing so. He let go of her then; since there was no reason for her to stop him; and he began to move, any idea he'd had earlier of taking his time and going slowly flying out the window with how far she had pushed him.

Beckett held on to him tightly, easily moving with him since she had pushed herself as well with how she had held him off. But she found that the wait had been well worth it, and she turned her head, kissing him, trying to find a way to express to him what he was making her feel. Her body was burning, and he was making her almost writhe under him in such a short time she wondered if they were really going to be able to hold off what they were making one another feel for very long. She tried not to think about that, instead letting herself focus on how he felt, moving very rough and quick against her. His lips and right hand were moving around her upper body, and she had to stop him, wanting to draw things out further to keep feeling what he was doing to her.

Looking down at her, Castle suddenly flipped them around so he was lying back where she had. But it didn't last long as she sat up, pulling him with her while he held on tightly to her back. He let her lead him to breasts, but before he went to them, he teased her, kissing around her skin above before finally taking pity on both her and himself. He kissed and nipped at her skin, hearing her reactions as she would let out a short gasp. Pressing his hands on her back, he pulled her tightly against him as he took her nipple into his mouth, and felt her nails dragging along his scalp in response. He wondered if he might have had a little too much to drink at the party; and her as well; as they were moving even faster than they had before.

Feeling herself faltering a little as the rhythm she had initially set up was starting to become too hard to keep, Beckett was relieved when Castle moved them again, laying her on her back. That time she wrapped her arms and legs around him, kissing him before he roamed over her lips, neck and chest, before he once again switched their positions. He kept doing that; what she knew was a way to keep focus off the intense pleasure generating from where they were coupled together; and she had a hard time remembering if she was on the bed or sitting up with him. She kissed him hard when she was lying beneath him, feeling their tongues drag against each other before they pulled apart. She didn't let him get too far; only long enough for them to get a quick breath of air; before she crushed her lips to his.

When they needed to breathe, Castle pulled back, but only enough to bite her lower lip in his teeth. As she cried out at that, he proceeded to lightly nip at it, feeling her nails digging into his skin in response. He pulled back enough to look at her, seeing her lower lip was heavily swollen. He couldn't stop himself, and he kissed her harder until he had to wrench himself away, gasping for air. He pressed his lips to her neck, going down to her collarbone, nipping at that before he pushed himself up off her enough so he could reach her upper body.

Feeling Castle taking her hands, Beckett allowed him to, and felt his hand grasping her wrists tightly. She opened her eyes and looked at him then, seeing his eyes were staring intently into hers. She almost couldn't breathe for a moment, and she tried to take her hands from his grip. But he wasn't letting them go. She tried to move, tried to get him to let go of her, but he wasn't helping her. She let her frustration out in a heavy moan of his name, and was startled when he immediately let go of her. Before she could react though, he was kissing her, his right hand cupping her breasts and caressing them intently to her cries of joy.

Out of the blue, Castle suddenly stopped moving, putting his hand on her hip to stop Beckett from doing so too. When she looked up at him in bewilderment for a moment, he couldn't blame her; the abrupt ceasing of the very rough and sharp thrusts of their bodies against each other was a shock. But he wanted to try and add to what she had started earlier. He leaned down, kissing around her neck before working his way up to her chin and to her lips where he kissed her slowly, sensuously before pulling back. "I'm-" he began to whisper.

"No," was all that Becket could say before he began to thrust again. She arched her back, knowing they were not going to last, unless he stopped again, and she hoped that he wouldn't, she was tired of fighting it, trying to push back their inevitable climax. She took his hand then, and slid it in between them, a little startled when he ran it over her stomach, making her whole body burn from his touch. But he managed to reach in between them, and at first teased at her the swollen nub between her legs. "There… please," she whispered heavily.

"I love you," Castle said against her lips before he kissed her again. He felt her stroking his hair before hooking her hands onto his shoulders, and he moved a little faster, deciding they'd wasted enough time dancing around the end. When he moved down to the junction of her neck and shoulder, he felt her turn her head and duck down before she was suddenly biting on his ear lobe before she began to nibble at it.

Pressing her lips against his lobe, Becket whispered, "I love you Castle," before something inside of her broke, and she was letting out what she guessed might have been a shout, but the sound of her heart beating in her ears was so loud, she couldn't tell exactly if that was it or not. It didn't matter though, a sense of ecstasy rushed through every inch of her, leaving her almost delirious, and she held tightly to him, trying to keep herself anchored to that moment for as long as it lasted.

Groaning out her name loudly, Castle moved harder against her than before, just barely hearing the sounds of their hips smacking into each other. But he knew she was enjoying it, and he didn't try to think or consider what they had done until everything stopped, which felt as if it took forever, and felt as if it was an instant at the same time. But finally he was able to turn his head, and he kissed her sensuously again, wanting to enforce what he had told her, as he took her hand, entwining their fingers tightly.

"So," Beckett said when they had finally pulled away to breathe. "We're finished with the argument, you've apologized, I forgave you and we're set with that right?"

"Almost," Castle began hesitantly as he lay on his side next to her and she turned onto her side, facing him. "Well, I don't know if you'll slap me in the face for this, but I can see why you were being stared at so much tonight. You looked stunning."

"Stared at by Bay?" Beckett asked.

"Other men too," Castle said. When she looked at him questioningly he said defensively, "What? I couldn't help notice, and it was as I was looking away from you that I noticed those guys not looking away."

Shaking her head as Castle's voice became angry at the end, Beckett said, "Thank you for your compliment, actually that was the only dress I had that was clean with me."

"Yeah… I'm wondering, how did you get into it, that thing was tight," Castle asked, stroking the small of her back.

"I got out of it didn't I?" Beckett asked with a slight smile. She couldn't help but smile even wider when Castle shuddered at that and she leaned over, kissing him. "You know I didn't-"

"I know," Castle said quickly, knowing she was going to say something about how she hadn't wanted the men at the party to ogle her. "In the end though, I went home with you, so that must tell them something."

"Isn't it the other way around?" Beckett asked in amusement. She tensed slightly when his hand slid from her back to the side of her breast, his thumb sliding up and down her skin and making her shiver.

"Cold?" Castle asked, not really realizing it was his touch that had made her do that.

"A little," Beckett said, watching as he sat up and pulled at the covers. While he was covering himself she said, "Before I had to deal with Bay, Rebecca Foster and I were talking in the library. She was able to guess this," indicating her ring.

"How?" Castle asked, though he wasn't too surprised the woman had been able to do that.

"She saw the necklace, and remember when we saw them in the restaurant I didn't have it, she guessed it was a gift. And apparently I've picked up the habit of rubbing my thumb along my ring, I was doing it still even though it wasn't on," Beckett explained

"She's smart, David too," Castle said. "He congratulated me when we were left alone in the dining room once Fiona Jacks got off my back," he said, rolling his eyes as he remembered the woman who hadn't left him alone for a while. "Though I'm sure Rebecca guessed I might propose around Christmas."

"Like you said, she is smart," Beckett said. "She seems to guess what I'm not saying when we exchange e-mails. It's a little unnerving to tell you the truth, but she's a good friend so I'll allow it."

Castle merely nodded at that, his hand was back on her side, his thumb lightly running across the side of her breast again. They were quiet for a while, he finally said simply, "Earlier."

"What about it?" Beckett said. "And how early are you talking about?"

"You should really consider becoming a dominatrix," Castle said. "You were teasing the hell out of me."

"I was, but here's the thing, I wasn't humiliating you," Beckett said simply, reaching up and moving his hand down to her waist. "I have other ways to do that; but here I prefer to be slightly equal."

"Slightly?" Castle asked, pulling her closer to him.

"I have to do something to keep you in line once in a while," Beckett said, smiling as she leaned in to him.

"I think," Castle said before moving to kiss at her neck. "This is one of those times," before he covered her lips with his, kissing her deeply as he rolled onto his back, taking her with him.

"Is it?" Beckett asked when they had stopped. She was going to speak, but was cut off slightly when Castle's hands began to run over her back. "Maybe you're right," she said quickly. They kissed each other passionately at the same time and she pulled Castle up with her as they very easily slid into their lovemaking. Taking their time, they seemed to forget that he had essentially given her control as they were making love as they had before and sharing that control.

Some time later, Castle slid his hand over Beckett's abdomen as he lay behind her, kissing the back of her shoulder. "I don't think you really need any extra effort to make me behave when we're like this," he whispered into her ear.

Laughing slightly, Beckett nodded and said, "I don't think so either, which is nice to know." She reached down, and squeezed his hand before they entwined their fingers at the same time. She glanced back at him, kissing him gently before he moved to deepen the kiss. When they parted, she felt him getting comfortable, and she closed her eyes, falling asleep to her lips still feeling the echoing touch of his.


	10. In The Snow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song White Christmas, written by Irving Berlin, but the version I'm taking it from is the one sung by Bing Crosby from the movie White Christmas.

Getting to the top of the stairs, Beckett was surprised to see that Castle was standing at the doorway to their room and she was about to speak when he turned to her. "What-" she started to say.

"Come here," Castle whispered, interrupting her. He stepped out to her and grabbed her hand, pulling her to the doorway. When he saw she was looking at him in confusion he quickly said; keeping his voice low; "Just watch."

Looking into the room, Beckett saw Julia was sitting on the bed, and she was tempted to ask Castle what exactly she was looking at, when she heard her daughter begin to speak.

"You have to be nice Stitch," Julia was saying to her newer doll. "And share with your brother, let him play with the toy too." She set the doll down before she then picked up her matryoshka doll and took them out individually. "See? There's enough to share," she said seriously to the two dolls. "I'll let you have the big one 'cause you were nice. And you have this one, it's smaller but it's nice 'cause it's still Paul, see? Don't steal it, or else Mommy will give you a ticket and I don't want you to get one," she commanded to both her dolls.

Covering her mouth with her hand, Beckett stepped back into the hall and said, laughter in her voice, "How long has she been playing?"

"Not long, I stepped out to see where you were," Castle said. "And before I went back into the room I heard her talking. Does she have any imaginary friends?"

"No," Beckett said with a slight laugh. "She just has a very active imagination; I've watched her trying to teach her first Stitch doll to dance before. It's probably why she likes you, you indulge her in that," she said before she went into the room.

"Probably," Castle echoed. "But I can't help but see you at her age, doing the same thing."

Beckett smiled slightly at that and said to Julia who had turned to look at them at their entrance, "Having fun sweetie?"

"Yeah, I told Stitch and dancing Stitch to play nice and not to steal," Julia said seriously, setting down the nesting doll before she stood up and walked over to her mother. She wrapped her arms tightly around Beckett's neck when she picked her up and pressed her cheek to hers.

"Tired?" Beckett asked with a smile as she rubbed her daughter's back. "You didn't have a nap today you know," she teased her as she walked around to sit next to Castle's suitcase which he was packing.

"No, but I will see you soon Mommy?" Julia asked.

"Of course you will," Castle said, setting a shirt inside the case and ruffling the little girl's hair to her giggle. "You need to get back to the city for school and so Alexis can go to California."

Julia squirmed in her mother's arms and then asked eagerly, "When do we go?"

"It's still a while," Beckett said, kissing her forehead. She was watching Castle and she suddenly realized something. "Think you can watch her again for me?"

"Sure, what's wrong?" Castle asked, watching her put Julia on the bed.

"I need to check on something, I'll be right back though," Beckett said as she left the room. She went down the hall, knocking on Alexis' door. "Hey, sorry if I'm interrupting anything you're doing," she said as the young woman opened at her knock quickly.

"It's not a problem," Alexis said, a little confused as Beckett was looking down towards her dad's room. "Is anything wrong?" she asked, stepping back a little to let her come inside.

"No, I just needed to ask if maybe you could set something up for me while you're in San Francisco," Beckett said with a smile. She saw Alexis was still bemused, so she said quickly, "For your dad."

* * *

"Are you excited to get to stay with Alexis?" Castle was asking Julia as he closed his suitcase and set it down.

"Yeah, is Mommy going to be okay?" the little girl asked as she held her dolls while he sat next to her.

"Sure, she'll stay with me until you come back," Castle assured her. "I hope it's okay, we need to take some of your presents with us. That way we can get them set at your home."

"Kay," Julia said. "Can I keep both my Stitch?"

"Yes," Castle said, laughing slightly at her serious expression. "We're taking the bigger ones, like your trunk of costumes, your bike."

"I didn't get to ride my bike," Julia said, pouting slightly.

"I told you sweetie," Beckett said, walking into the room then. "You need to wait for spring to try it out."

"I still wanna," Julia said.

"Are we ready?" Beckett asked, seeing Castle's suitcase was on the floor.

"We are, what about you?" he asked as he stood up, taking Julia with him.

"I've been ready for a while," Beckett replied. "Okay," she said, taking her daughter from him. "We're going to be leaving now, but I don't want you to worry Julia."

"I won't, but when do I see you Mommy?" she asked.

"In three days," Beckett replied. "And you're going to leave early on the second, so you won't have to wait a full day on that last one."

"Good," Julia said. She then looked thoughtful for a moment before asking, "What's New Year Mommy?"

"It's exactly what it says," Beckett told her as she went out the door after Castle. "We go from the old year; in this case 2013; to the new year, 2014."

"Oh, and what do we do?" Julia said.

"Nothing, you'll go to that party with Alexis and Martha at the Welsh's house, and I think Mari is going to be there too," Beckett said. "And if you stay up late enough," she said, glancing at Martha who was in foyer with them and Castle. "Then you'll see when it turns twelve, midnight, and that means it's a new year."

"Is it really late?" Julia asked.

"For you, very late," Martha said. "But it's alright if you fall asleep, when you wake up the next morning, it will still be 2014."

"Kay," Julia said, waving a little at Alexis who walked in. "Do we still play?" she asked eagerly, seeing the young woman was dressed for the snow.

"If your mom says it's okay," Alexis said.

"It is," Beckett said quickly before Julia could ask her. "Alright, since we're going to go, I'll tell you this now and only once… because we're leaving." She smiled at her daughter's giggle and then took her hand, leading her over to the small bench that was under the coats in the closet. "I know you'll be a good girl until you come home, but I want you to remember, listen to Martha and Alexis as if it was me telling you something. They want to make sure you're safe," she told Julia seriously as she held her tightly.

"I know," the little girl said in the same tone of voice her mother had used. "I'll be good and listen and can't wait to see you."

"Me too," Beckett said with a smile before she kissed her daughter's forehead. "Right now when you play outside, you can go down to the beach if you want; with her," she said, nodding to Alexis. "And look for seashells if she's okay with that. And I promise to call you tonight and tomorrow too."

"Kay," Julia said. "Will you be safe too?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around her mother's neck.

"Very," Beckett said, kissing her forehead. "I'll help you get dressed to play outside again, but let's say goodbye now."

"Bye Mommy, I love you," Julia said quickly.

Sharing a kiss with her daughter Beckett then said, "I love you too sweetie, bye." She was about to stand up and get Julia's snow pants, when they appeared in front of her. She smiled her thanks to Castle, then helped the little girl step into them, putting her in her boots and coat after. "Alright, you'll be warm," she said as she finished with putting on Julia's Stitch beanie last. "And if you get cold, just tell Alexis." She hugged her daughter to her tightly then before telling her, "Say goodbye to Castle."

"I'll come over," he said quickly. "I know how hard it is to walk with all that on you." He stepped over to Julia and hugged her, sweeping her up as he stood to her short cry that became a giggle quickly. "I'll miss you Julia, but you get to stay behind for a few days, not too bad," he told her.

"You'll be with my mommy," Julia reminded him.

"That's a good point," Castle said seriously, making her smile. He kissed her cheek then as she kissed his and said, "Have fun with my mom and Alexis, watch out for them."

"I will," Julia said before he set her down. She watched as her mother and Castle put on their coats before she took Alexis' offered hand, following the two outside to Castle's car that was ready to go.

"Thanks again for watching her," Beckett said. "I don't need to say anything else, you know already," she said as she hugged Martha briefly. "We'll call."

"Be safe, I know the roads are likely still icy," Martha said as she hugged her son next.

"I'll be careful," Castle said. "The chains are already on the tires so we'll be alright. Take care until we see you on the second Mother."

"Bye Dad," Alexis said, going to him after saying goodbye to Beckett. "Gram's right though, it feels like it got a lot colder since we went out earlier."

"I know, don't worry though, we'll give you a call tonight from the city, and your fears will be put to rest," Castle said as Alexis shook her head slightly. "Ready?" he directed to Beckett.

"Yeah," she said, though she was hugging Julia one more time. After one more kiss and a goodbye, she set her daughter down, and went to the passenger side where Castle was holding the door. Once she was set, she watched him walk around and get inside saying, "I'm not worried about leaving her," as they waved to Julia who was waving to them.

"No, I realize that," Castle said, heading down the driveway. "But you'll miss her."

"I miss her already," Beckett said with a slight smile, taking out her tablet. "I'll see her in three days though." She opened up a game and asked, "Scrabble?"

"Why not," Castle said. "I'm surprised you want to do that with the way the road is though."

"Which means I'm more likely to win," Beckett said simply.

"How devious of you," Castle said, starting to reach for the radio to turn it on before he paused. "Which one?" he asked.

Beckett smiled, since they usually listened to Julia's Ipod, and she set down her tablet to hook hers up before she went through her albums. Setting her music on shuffle, she leaned back in her seat as the first song began and said, "I'm using apply first, vertical."

Castle; once she had told him his letters, quickly said, "Learns, and that better have a higher score since I'm not going to see the extra point squares."

"You do," Beckett said simply, contemplating her next word. She was startled when she heard the wipers turn on, and looked up, seeing it was snowing. She glanced at Castle, wondering if he'd turn back to the beach house.

"I think we're good," he said, sensing her gaze on him. "Let's hope they don't panic and close the road."

Nodding, Beckett turned back to the game, playing another word before Castle mulled over his turn, the snow flaking down on the car gently before the wipers swiped them away.

* * *

Nearing the town of Shirley, Castle wasn't too surprised to come up on a roadblock, but he still groaned before stopping the car and getting out, hearing Beckett do the same. "All closed?" he asked the police officer in front of the roadblock that was coming up to them.

"There's some black ice up ahead for a long stretch, and we're low on road salt this year," the officer explained. "The cold isn't letting up either; I would suggest you and your wife head back where you're coming from to stay the night."

"We're coming from the Hamptons," Beckett said.

"Then I'd suggest a hotel," the officer said.

"Any place near this road?" Castle asked.

"There's a bed and breakfast about ten minutes north off the road back here," the other officer said, coming from the car parked next to the roadblock. "It's called the Beach B&B. Closed for the season, but the owners should be sympathetic, give you a place to stay."

"Thank you," Castle said, Beckett echoing him. When they were back in the car, and he felt he could talk without his teeth chattering said, "You didn't correct him."

"What would be the point?" Beckett replied easily as he went back the way they'd come on the road. At the first exit he took it, and started north, going through woods and along a stream. On their way she said, "You didn't either."

"Married, engaged, same difference," Castle said with a shrug. He returned her brief smile before concentrating on driving, the road a little icy so the going was slower than on the main road. Finally he couldn't take it anymore and said, "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault of course," Beckett said in a matter of fact tone. "But if I didn't want to try to get to the city tonight I would have suggested; long before we left; that we should stay in town."

"We might have to try and go back," Castle said, a little unsure though as he saw the snow was falling heavier then. "If these people don't give us a room. Why am I suddenly thinking of the Nativity?"

Beckett looked at him in surprise, but didn't comment on it saying instead, "The officer seemed to think we'd get one."

Nodding quickly, Castle had to slow down as the snow was suddenly thick, and he tried not to swear as he nearly missed the sign for the bed and breakfast. Just making it, he inched down what turned out to be a driveway to the house, which took almost three minutes to get to, since it was so long and the snow hampered his speed.

"Wow, that's an impressive B&B," Beckett said as they made it to the house, circling around to the front door. She looked up at what she could see of it, a Victorian home complete with turrets and tall gables.

"More of a mansion," Castle said. "Okay, you ready to try and make a run for it?"

"It's not like it's raining… but it is cold, you have a point. And you?" Beckett asked.

"I'll be right behind," Castle replied, his voice turned towards the back of the car as he was taking one of their suitcases they'd put in the back.

"Give me mine," Beckett said, holding out her hand. Grabbing the side handle, she ran out of the car, trying not to slip in the slick snow that had fallen on the pavement. She had to hold on to the railing to the porch, but managed to get up to the front door without falling. She looked back as Castle joined her, sliding a little before he reached the steps, but making it up. She was about to knock on the door when it flew open.

"I thought I heard a car," an older man said on the other side. "Get inside, please," he told them, ushering them in. "Beatrice, I was right," he then called to the woman walking into the foyer.

"We're sorry," Beckett said, rubbing her arm with her free hand as they tried to warm up. "But we were trying to get back to the city when we got to the roadblock."

"And we would have gone back to where we were coming from but… the snow put a stop to that," Castle quickly said. "One of the officers we talked to suggested your place, and we're prepared to pay even though you're not open."

"Please, come inside," Beatrice said. "We have ten rooms and we can easily let you use one of them, since they're all empty. But leave your luggage, and come warm up in the parlor."

"Thank you so much," Beckett said in relief as she let go of her suitcase and followed the older woman down the hall as she took off her coat; a little reluctant to do so though.

"It's not a problem, we're all alone after our son left for the city, so some company is nice," Beatrice said, leading Beckett into the parlor once Castle had taken her coat. "We probably should have some introductions, I'm Beatrice Kemp and that is my husband John."

"It's nice to meet you both," Castle said, coming in after he'd set his and Beckett's coats in the closet in the foyer. "I just wish it was as actual customers."

"Please, sit," Beatrice was saying to Beckett. "John and I are warm," she said when Beckett tried to sit on an armchair instead of the couch closer to the fireplace. "I'm sure you and your hus- fiancé will need this more than we will."

Nodding slightly to show her thanks, Beckett sat on the sofa, Castle joining her. She held her hands out to the warmth, wondering why they were so cold though she'd been wearing gloves the whole drive. She then realized that she hadn't been able to introduce herself, and quickly said to the couple, "I'm Kate Beckett and this is Richard Castle."

Nodding, John said, "If you'd like something warm to drink I can make some more coffee. Beatrice and I were just about to get some for ourselves."

"That would be great, thank you," Castle said. When the two left the room he looked at Beckett and asked in a low voice, "Think they'll say anything to anyone else?"

"I don't know," Beckett said simply. "We'll have to take a risk since she saw the ring."

"Warm now?" Castle then said as he watched her lean back against the couch.

"I don't understand how I got so cold," Beckett said.

"The temperature is supposed to drop fast tonight," Beatrice said, coming into the room with two mugs which she set in front of them. "But it is a surprise that it's started so early."

The conversation stopped at that point as John came back in with two more mugs. After a few minutes though, it didn't pick, up again, as Castle and Beckett weren't sure what to say to the couple besides thank you and that had already been said. But Beatrice soon cut through the silence, starting out a little hesitantly.

"Where are you two coming from, if it's not too intrusive for me to ask?" she said.

"My house in the Hamptons," Castle answered quickly. "We're heading to the city for New Year's Eve."

"Oh, you live out here?" John said.

"No, in the city, I have a beach house…" Castle began before he trailed off, his phone ringing to alert him to a text message. "It's Alexis," he said to Beckett. "Excuse me," he told his hosts before stepping out.

"His daughter," Beckett said quickly when the two looked at her. "We were celebrating Christmas with my daughter, his and his mom."

"We had our son, his wife and her parents over," Beatrice said. "As well as their three kids; triplets."

"Sounds like a full house, but this place seems to have more than enough space for them all," Beckett said with a slight smile.

"Still, triplets who are six make it seem a lot more enclosed," John said. "Not that we minded the boys running around."

"Sorry, I had to call her, apparently the snow's coming down pretty hard over there," Castle said, walking back into the room. "Julia was a little worried, but I told them we'd call later and that we were fine."

"I think I'll call her now," Beckett said, standing up. "I'm sorry, is it alright if you could show me to the room we'll be using?"

"That's fine, I'm sure you'll want to get in touch with her," Beatrice said. "How old is your daughter?"

"Four and a half, almost five actually," Beckett said as she followed the older woman back into the hall to the foyer where their suitcases were at the bottom of the stairs. She was waiting for the woman to mention having heard about her and Julia, but when she didn't say anything she was reassured that the couple wouldn't make their knowledge of hers and Castle's engagement public.

"This is our best room," Beatrice said, opening a door. "And also our warmest. It's why my husband took a little longer to come back with our coffee, to get the fire set."

"Thanks," Beckett said, nodding absently as she was a little surprised at the room. "Anything is fine as long as we have someplace to sleep."

"Floor would have worked too," Castle said, coming in behind them. When he saw the look Beckett was giving him he said, "But this is great," quickly to Beatrice. "And I'll add my thanks to hers."

"We'll be having dinner at about five," Beatrice said, having caught their exchange, smiling a little. "And before you might protest, I wouldn't suggest going out for a burger to not 'impose' on us. We're nearly at a blizzard it looks like."

Once they were alone, the door closed after Beatrice, Castle went to what was one of the turrets, and glanced out the windows. "I thought she was kidding, trying to make it seem like we were right to stop even though we made a big deal out of a little snow," he commented as Beckett joined him.

"I'm calling her now," she said simply, seeing the thick flurries and shivering as the space seemed draftier than the rest of the room. She walked over towards the fire, dialing on her phone quickly.

"Hello?" Alexis said at the other end.

"Hey Alexis it's me, I'm calling to talk to Julia," Beckett replied. "I'd like to talk to her on screen."

"Sure, let me go get her, she's in the kitchen with Gram," Alexis said.

"Who's cooking?" Castle called out, following Beckett to the couch in front of the fire.

"Tell him I am," Alexis said as she saw Beckett and her father on the screen. "I'm cooking Dad, with Julia's help. Julia," she then called off screen. "Hey, your mom's on the phone, want to talk to her?"

"Mommy! Please?" Julia cried.

"She's right here," Alexis said, gesturing to the screen.

"Mommy!" Julia repeated. "Where are you?"

"I'm at a house off the road back to the city," Beckett said. "We had to stop because of the snow, but I wanted to talk to you now so you know we're okay."

"Hi Castle," Julia said, waving as she could see him looking over her mother's shoulder.

"Hey Julia, how was it playing in the snow over there?" Castle asked, waving back at her quickly.

"Fun, but we had to stop 'cause it was snowing hard," Julia said. "Are you warm Mommy?"

"I am sweetie," Beckett assured her with a slight smile. "What about you?"

"Yeah, Alexis wants me to help make dinner, can I?" Julia then asked eagerly.

"That's fine, just be careful please," Beckett said.

"Are you going to eat?" Julia asked.

"In a little bit," Beckett said. "What are you going to do after dinner?" she then asked, wanting to get her daughter distracted from her worry over them.

"I dunno," Julia shrugged.

"Actually," Alexis said, appearing on the screen. "I've wanted to show her the movie _Despicable Me_ , it's PG, but I've seen it, just a little crude humor, nothing too bad."

When Beckett glanced at him Castle quickly said, "Why do you think I've seen it?" in protest. But she never turned her gaze from him and he finally sighed loudly saying, "It'll be fine for her, I get the feeling she'll like it."

"Then it's alright," Beckett told Alexis and Julia who were watching them, both smiling. "We'll call tomorrow Julia," she said as Castle's daughter moved off screen then. "Once we get to the city okay?"

"Kay, don't get cold Mommy," Julia said, sounding worried.

"She won't," Castle said quickly. "I'm making sure she's warm now, so you don't have to worry."

"Thank you," Julia said with a wide smile.

"Alright, we'll go ahead and let you go sweetie," Beckett then told her daughter. "I love you Julia."

"Love you Mommy," Julia said quickly. "Bye Castle!"

"Bye Julia, Alexis," he said as he knew his daughter was likely by Julia and listening in. After Beckett had turned off the screen he said, "Why did you assume I'd seen the movie?"

"Because I know you," Beckett said, standing up. She grabbed her suitcase and went into the bedroom part of their small suite, and paused at the décor, looking back at Castle who was behind her.

"I need to ask them who came up with the idea of making this a modern B&B," he said as he looked around.

"Does it not fit with the house?" Beckett asked, setting her case on the bed and opening it.

"No, it's amazing," Castle said, touching the blue and dark brown comforter on the bed. "And it works, especially with that turret; this is how I see someone making this kind of house now."

"Or decorating it," Beckett said in amusement, taking off her shirt. She raised her eyebrow at him as he looked at her, and she quickly put on a pale blue sweater that was the thickest thing she had in her suitcase. "I was thinking," she began before stopping as she set the case back on the floor.

"Yes?" Castle asked after he had waited to see if she would continue.

"You and Julia haven't spent all that much time together," Beckett said, sitting down in front of the fire. "I've been thinking; after seeing her the day before yesterday; that you need to."

"Sure," Castle said with a shrug, sitting next to her. "What do you want me to do with her?"

"Well, since we were talking about movies, take her to a kid's movie," Beckett said. She couldn't help but smirk slightly and say, "It'll be a legitimate excuse to go see one."

"As opposed to going with Alexis who's going to turn twenty…" Castle started to say.

"Take her with you if you want," Beckett said, squeezing his arm to bring his attention back to her, knowing where his line of thought was going. "But besides that, I think you'll be able to think of things to do with her. Go to museums, or playgrounds, anything where you're spending time together."

Nodding slightly Castle said, "I'll do that next year."

"Okay," Beckett said, checking her watch. "How do you think the internet connection is here?"

"I don't think there's any," Castle said, taking his phone out of his pocket. "No, nothing," he said as he tried to get on the internet but it wouldn't load. "Why, are you bored?"

"No, I'm just not sure about going down there. The conversation with them was a little awkward," Beckett said honestly, standing and walking out to the main room. She turned to him since he was following her and said, "Do you think they know who you are?"

"I'm not sure, but I don't get the feeling they're the type of people who are going to start gossiping about us and that," Castle replied, gesturing with his head a little exaggeratedly towards her hand.

"I guess not, but I just hope dinner won't be the four of us, sitting in complete silence," Beckett said.

"Leave it to me," Castle said, taking her hand.

"Oh, that's right, the décor," Beckett said as she let him lead her out to the hall of the second floor.

"That and other things," Castle replied, smiling at her tone of voice before he pulled her down the stairs, her hand still cold in his.

* * *

"So what does your daughter enjoy doing?" Beatrice was asking Beckett as she poured some coffee out for them all as they sat near the fire in the parlor.

"Dancing mostly," Beckett said, picking up her mug. "She's learning ballet at the moment, but she's begging me to let her learn Ballroom and Latin."

"Instead of ballet?" Beatrice asked.

"Oh no, both, but I get the feeling once she starts with Jive and Paso Doble and everything else she'll want to focus on that," Beckett said. "I'd like to keep her in a pink tutu for a little while longer instead of sequins."

"She enjoys ballroom dancing?" John asked.

"She does, though she only knows those dances from TV," Beckett said.

"We, you should let her start," Castle commented. "Find out if she's good at it or not."

"You mean if she's a prodigy?" Beckett asked with a slight smile. When he nodded she said, "We'll see next year, after her birthday."

A little surprised she'd continued his accidental use of the word we, Castle cleared his throat and said, "What does your son do? If you don't mind me asking."

"Not at all, he's an architect," John replied. "I taught him from a young age myself, since he was always interested in this house."

"Is that how long you've had it?" Beckett said.

"About thirty-two years," Beatrice said as she patted her husband's arm. "When we bought it we had to tear down about half of it; what used to be an addition that was poorly made. We made a better addition and opened the B&B a year later."

"It's a beautiful home," Beckett said, Castle nodding in agreement with her. "And I'm going to head up, I'm feeling a little tired. But thank you so much for dinner, it was great," she said, looking at her fiancé.

Castle waited until Beckett had said her goodnights to their hosts, and then excused himself as soon as he felt was reasonably polite; having gotten the message she had sent. He started to leave the room when John called to him, making him pause mid-step and turn to the man.

"There are some drinks in your room, if you don't feel like going to sleep yet," John said easily.

"Thanks," Castle said, wondering how he'd guessed they weren't tired. But he shook that off and headed up to the room, closing and locking the door behind him. "Did you hear what he said?" he asked Beckett when he saw that she was pouring out some Scotch into two small glasses.

"What did he say?" she said, looking up in confusion.

"I was about to leave the room and he mentioned there was liquor in here," Castle said, going to her. "And then I come up and you're pouring out this. Very strange."

"Do you remember," Beckett said, not replying to what he'd said. She took his arm as she spoke, pulling him over to the turret which was warmer by then with the fire blazing in the closed room. "That we delayed talking about us Christmas night?"

"You want to talk about it now," Castle said simply as she handed him his drink. He followed her, when she didn't say a word, to the couch in front of the windows. "Why?" he finally asked as they were both silent for a while.

"It was Beatrice," Beckett said, nodding down to the floor. "She asked when you had proposed… is it that easy to tell we just got engaged?"

"Well…" Castle began. "The people that have been able to guess so far-"

"Have been women," Beckett finished for him. "I know, and I'm hoping that Gates won't be able to tell." She then looked up at him from her drink and said, "But she asked if we'd decided on a date and what we wanted to do concerning the ceremony itself. I realized we have to talk to about this because we can't leave it open as it is."

"You're right," Castle said. "But," he said simply.

"I know," Beckett sighed. "We… what exactly should we do?"

"One thing I would like to know," Castle said. "Would you like to wait?"

"Yes, I don't really think I want to get married right this second," Beckett said quickly. "And you?"

"I agree," Castle said. "But when the time comes and we both are in agreement that we want to make this official, what exactly are we going to do?"

"That's the problem," Beckett said. "I can't really see how we could continue working together if we were married. The mayor…" she began hesitantly, looking at him.

"His term is almost finished," Castle said. "There's a vote in July remember."

"Didn't you say you know Mark Price?" Beckett said.

"I do, but not as well," Castle said. "I think though, if he won, we can try."

"You don't sound too sure," Beckett stated, though she knew why already.

"I can't imagine they'd want a husband and wife working cases as we do," Castle said. "Okay, so we're agreed," he said, shaking himself a little after they were both silent for a while, thinking that over. "That we don't want to get married right now. But we have this problem of what we'll do when it turns out we're ready to take that step. I think, we should wait, until July or August, and see where we are then, what it is we want."

Beckett leaned back, thinking that over and she sipped her drink before she said, "I agree. But, I need you to promise me something Rick."

"Anything," Castle quickly said, giving her his full attention as he could tell she was being serious.

It took Beckett a moment, before she finally said, "Treat her as your daughter now."

"I wasn't planning on waiting for the adoption papers to be signed to do that," Castle immediately replied. "I meant what I said."

"So did I," Beckett said. She then looked down at her left hand, holding the tumbler glass which by then was empty and she said, "Do you ever really wonder how we got to this?"

"A lot," Castle said, nodding in understanding. "But I don't try to put too much thought into it. If I do I think I'll go insane trying to figure things out."

Beckett felt a quick smile turn up the corners of her lips before she said, "That and the times we seemed to be off, one of us ready and the other not so much." She quickly raised her hand when he was about to speak and told him, "I know, it was mostly me that was the latter."

"You had reason to be," Castle conceded though he'd been about to say the exact same thing she had. "But was there ever a point when you were the former?"

"You know already," Beckett said, giving him a look. "I waited too long didn't I?"

"Well," Castle began hesitantly. "I thought that I had lost my chance, and had to move on. But that wasn't exactly easy."

"No, it wasn't," Beckett said with a smile. "But that's been consistent with us; you coming back."

"And you accepting me without really too much protest," Castle pointed out. He gestured to her hand and said, "There wasn't much protest when I asked you."

"Did you expect any?" Beckett asked.

"Not protest," Castle said. "If I'd thought I was going to get that kind of reaction to you, I wouldn't have asked. But I thought you would ask for time to consider it and I was ready to give that to you."

"You don't want to know why I didn't?" Beckett asked in surprise as she waited for him to ask but the question wasn't forthcoming.

"I know why," Castle said. "Julia."

"I was wondering if you'd realize that," Beckett said. "I had to figure it out myself."

"I told you before, being Julia's mother has changed you, very much for the better," Castle said.

"You've done the same; not to the same degree, but…" Beckett said, not wanting him to think she hadn't been affected by their relationship.

"There's only so much I can do," Castle said. "And believe me, I've tried; very hard; to get you to be a little more open with me, and I did get that. But with Julia, I saw you smiling more, a little more-"

Beckett wasn't too surprised when he shut himself up by closing his mouth so fast his teeth clicked together. Reaching out to him, she cupped his cheek gently and said, "Vulnerable."

"Well… not that word exactly," Castle said hesitantly. "You mentioned that wall, but it was more than that, a lot more complicated too. But she managed to get those down."

"Better explanation," Beckett said with a smile as he grabbed her hand and held it in between them. "And you used that one before too. But," she then said. "It's not just because of Julia that I was more… open to the idea of going further with our relationship. There is you of course."

"Of course," Castle echoed, entwining their fingers together as they both watched. "And it wasn't just me wanting to stay in yours and Julia's life that made me realize that I wanted to propose. Actually, don't ask if you don't want a long explanation, it'll take a while."

"I think I know what you'd say," Beckett said with a slight smile. "You have before. I also think we're pretty much set on this," she told him as she indicated their clasped hands.

"No more discussions like this?" Castle asked. When she nodded a little he said, "Shame, the intimacy is so nice."

"Okay," Beckett laughed slightly before they fell silent, looking out the window at the snow that was still falling thickly.

"You didn't think I'd stop wanting to be Julia's father did you?" Castle suddenly asked as he let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her. "Hey, you said if we're set with us, not that," he told her in defense when she looked at him.

"To a degree," Beckett said slowly. When Castle looked at her she said gradually, "Like hiding our relationship, I have never been in this kind of situation before. I know you're a great father to her but I always seem to be concerned the instability of yours and Julia's connection is going to come back. You're not her father yet," she then explained quickly as he looked at her in a little confusion. "But you're not just an outsider to the family she and I are now."

Thinking for a moment, Castle then said, "You do realize earlier you started to make sure that that instability doesn't come back."

"Oh, so you noticed that?" Beckett said teasingly.

"Of course," Castle said. "But you're right, or you were earlier, I should spend time with her. I should spend time with both Alexis and Julia. After she comes back from Berkley."

"Good idea," Beckett said. "In the meantime, spend your time with Julia when you can."

Nodding, Castle then said, "Does it feel like it got colder all of a sudden?"

"It does, I thought we'd be fine here because of the fire," Beckett said. She stood and followed Castle to the bedroom where they set their glasses aside and she began to change hurriedly while he built up the fire.

"They weren't kidding about the cold," Castle said absently a few minutes later when he came out of the bathroom and got into bed.

"No, but this wasn't too bad of a detour," Beckett said, pressing close to him. "We were lucky there."

"Unless," Castle said, sitting up. "This is just a front, and those two are really serial killers who kill couples in love, throw them in the crawl-"

"Get down here," Beckett said in exasperation before he could continue, pulling on his arm. "You're letting in all the cold, and you're a lot warmer than the covers."

"Glad I can be some service," Castle said, wrapped his arm around her as she pressed her cheek to his shoulder. He rubbed her arm with his hand and said, "I got my answer."

"Answer to what?" Beckett asked in confusion.

"Why you were so cold earlier," Castle replied.

"Okay," she said slowly, unsure of what he meant. "Question," she said after a moment. "Why did you say this couple that doesn't exist kills couples in love?"

"I don't know, my mouth running ahead of my brain," Castle said, shrugging. "You know how often that happens. What?" he asked when she raised herself up on her elbow.

"Did you hear that?" Beckett asked in a whisper, looking anxious as she glanced towards the door.

Sitting up, Castle was about to jump out of the bed when he saw her smiling. "Damn it," he said, flopping down on the bed. "Okay, so they're not homicidal maniacs," he said as she lay down next to him again. "They were actually really nice. Pretty smart too."

"I know, I thought the conversation all through dinner was going to be about the house," Beckett replied, sighing as he was rubbing his hand over her back.

"Now you're tired?" Castle asked.

"Yeah, that Scotch didn't really warm me up like I was hoping," Beckett said.

"No, it didn't, we should have tried another glass," Castle said.

"Oh, that's all we need, you hungover driving back tomorrow," Beckett scoffed. "And me too. No, this is fine; it's just taking longer to warm up, especially with this pile on top of us."

"You want me to-" Castle started to say, moving slightly.

"Not really, it's a little too cold for that," Beckett said quickly, cutting him off. "But I'll promise you something," she said when she saw he looked to be disappointed for a moment. "Get us back into the city without any incidents or us having to stay at another B&B, and we'll see if we can't work that in before midnight."

"So basically you're saying you'd like to, but since it's too cold, tomorrow instead," Castle said, looking down at her. "And for sure, because honestly, midnight is a long way away."

"Think what you will," Beckett said simply, unable to keep the smile off her face. She turned over then as he groaned slightly in frustration, and she felt him quickly move up close behind her.

Pressing his lips to her shoulder, Castle wrapped his arms around her and said into her ear, "I know you're still smiling."

"But I'm not cold anymore," Beckett replied easily, turning back so she could look at him.

"I'm not either, that worked out pretty well," Castle said, making her turn over so she was lying on her back. He opened his mouth to speak, but then fell quiet, studying her face.

Beckett seemed to sense why he had hesitated, the still bright flames from the fire flickering over his face as well. She traced a shadow that danced into an orange yellow glow on his right cheek, and then put her hand on the back of his neck, bringing him down to her for a kiss. The cold was completely forgotten, his lips warm enough on hers that she didn't realize her fingers were starting to freeze as she responded to him eagerly.

Castle hadn't forgotten, and he could also feel his neck was exposed to the air as well. He let the kiss continue until he had to stop, and he pulled away slowly, looking into her eyes that were reflecting the fire. Without a word between them, they lay back down, that time with him on his back, Beckett pressed against his side as they'd been before.

As they lay there for a few minutes, Beckett finally broke the silence between them saying, "Good night Castle."

"Night Kate," he quickly replied. Cupping the back of her head, Castle moved to kiss her forehead, then her lips lightly before sliding his hand to the small of her back. He held her there securely as she kissed his jaw before pressing her cheek to his shoulder before they closed their eyes at nearly the same time, warm once more.


	11. Another Year Over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Happy Xmas (War Is Over) by John Lennon, which was released as a single.

The three sharp raps pulled Castle from him sleep, and he glanced to his right in slight confusion. The knocking happened again, three quick taps, and he remembered where he and Beckett were. But he could tell it was still night, and he picked up his watch from the nightstand as he sat up. His eyes widened when he saw it was almost two thirty, and the third time there was a knock at the door, he got out of the bed and was almost struck by the sharp cold that surrounded his body.

Wrapping his arms around himself, he hurried to the door in the main room, making a note of the fire that was only glowing embers by then. Opening the door, he was a little surprised when he saw it was John Kemp. "Is anything wrong?" he asked, thinking something had happened to the man's wife.

"The temperature's gone down fast," the older man replied. "I thought you two might be cold, so I brought up a couple more cords of wood, they should last through the cold snap."

"Thanks," Castle said, a little disturbed to see his breath when he spoke. He took the two metal firewood holders, and put them in the room saying, "Are you and your wife alright?"

"We're fine, Beatrice is asleep, so she's unaware of the temperature change," John said. He nodded into the room and said, "Your fiancée?"

"She's asleep too," Castle said. "You better head back to your room."

"Better head back to bed," John said with a nod.

"Thank you for the firewood," Castle said as the man then left. When he'd closed the door, he carried the wood to the fireplace, and put one holder in front of it before walking around to the bedroom and that side of the fireplace. "Hey," he said in surprise when he saw that Beckett was awake and slightly sitting up.

"Who were you talking to?" she asked sleepily, blinking at him.

"John, apparently there's a cold snap," Castle said, setting the wood down. "You don't need to-" he said hurriedly when she got out of bed.

"I'll get more blankets," Beckett said, shivering at the rush of cold that seemed to bite at her skin through her pajamas. As he started to build up the fire again, she hurriedly went to the closet where there were a few more blankets, and grabbed two of them before throwing them over the bed.

"Okay, I don't want to put anymore," Castle said a few minutes later when they'd finished their respective tasks at almost the same time. "I'm afraid of burning the house down." He stepped up to Beckett and rubbed her arms saying, "Bed?"

Nodding, she got under the covers first, shaking heavily before she turned to Castle as he slipped in after her. Once they were settled under the small mountain of blankets she asked, "Does this seem as familiar to you as it does for me?"

"Yeah," Castle replied, holding her against his side. "But luckily this isn't going to end up the same way."

"Let's hope it doesn't," Beckett said shortly.

"I'll try and wake up later on to see if I need to get the fire going again," Castle said. He turned his attention back to her after checking on the fireplace, and when he had set down his head said, "You know, they say body warmth is pretty effective…"

"Isn't that when you're camping?" Beckett asked, giving him a look as she knew what he meant. "And need to share a sleeping bag?"

"This is pretty close though," Castle replied.

"I'm not getting undressed," Beckett said. "Not when I can see my breath while I'm talking. Don't they have a heater?"

"In this size of a house, I bet it's not enough on a night like this," Castle said. They were quiet then, and he said, "We should get back to sleep, since there's nothing else we can do."

"Tomorrow," Beckett said in mock annoyance as she pushed at his shoulder.

"You mean today," Castle pointed out.

"Fine, today," Beckett said in slight frustration. "They'll…" she began to say.

"They might not being going through the same thing we are," Castle quickly said as he knew she was thinking about her daughter. "But we'll call them tomorrow. I'm sure they'll be fine."

"Yeah," Beckett said slowly.

"Warmer?" Castle asked her as he noticed they'd both stopped shaking.

"A lot warmer," Beckett replied. "You know, I almost told you I loved you; before."

"You did?" Castle asked, knowing she was referencing their ordeal in the frozen storage container.

"I thought we were going to die, and it was something I wanted you to know before that," Beckett said simply. "But I waited too long."

"Yeah, we have that habit of waiting… or not saying anything," Castle said.

"But we're a little more past that," Beckett pointed out.

"Right, we only waited about five days to talk about us, so that's a record for us I think," Castle said.

Beckett smiled and leaned over; kissing him lightly on the lips before she said, "Just promise me you'll talk to me."

"Just so long as you do the same," Castle said pointedly.

Shooting him a glare that didn't really have much threat to it, Beckett then said, "Fine, I promise."

"Okay," Castle said. He was going to speak again, when he saw the look she was giving him and said quickly, "I promise, there, happy?"

"Very, now go back to sleep, you volunteered for checking the fire later on this morning," Beckett said. She smiled to herself as he groaned, but she settled against his side and closed her eyes, falling asleep again much faster than she thought she would. But she was warm and drowsy and it took little to pull her into slumber as the last thing she was aware of was Castle's arm around her, bringing her closer to him.

* * *

"Hi Mommy!" Julia said on the screen of Beckett's phone the next morning.

"Hey sweetie, how are you doing?" she asked her daughter, in the back of her mind relieved to see the little girl looked to be fine.

"I'm good, are you?" Julia asked.

"Me too, were you cold at all last night?" Beckett asked, remembering the rest of the night before and how the wood they'd gotten from the home owner had just barely lasted until dawn, when the cold snap had broken. At the moment, the sun was out and shining brightly on the snow that was left after the wind after the storm.

"No, but it snowed! A lot," Julia said. "See?"

Beckett fought back a laugh as her daughter turned Alexis' phone towards the window, but the sun was so bright she couldn't see anything but white. "It looks pretty, turn the phone back to you so I can talk to you," she said as Castle walked into the kitchen where she was standing.

"Are you back home yet?" Julia asked as she turned the phone around and looked into the screen.

"Not yet, we're waiting to see when they open up the roads again," Beckett said. "And we had to shovel some snow too."

"Oh, you didn't play?" Julia asked, sounding surprised.

"Not today," Castle said. "But you know you could, with Alexis."

"Kay, I will," Julia said.

"Alright sweetie," Beckett said. "I need to go; I just wanted to make sure that you were alright after all the snow we got last night."

"I'm fine Mommy; do I talk to you later?" Julia asked.

"Before you leave for the party I promise to call," Beckett replied. "And Castle will send a message to Alexis that we got back to the city okay too. I'll talk to you later on today Julia, I love you."

"Love you Mommy, bye!" Julia said.

Hanging up the phone, Beckett looked at Castle questioningly as she said, "They were fine, I think you were right about them not getting the cold snap."

"The road's open," Castle said. "I was just checking the windshield before I came in to get you. Still numb?"

"I'm good," Beckett said as she slipped her phone into her pocket. "So are we ready to go?"

"All set, we just need to say goodbye to our hosts," Castle said, letting her walk past him and to the foyer where the couple was waiting.

"Have a safe drive back," Beatrice said.

"Thank you so much again for taking us in," Beckett replied, shaking her hand. "We appreciate it."

"We might actually come back," Castle said, shaking first John and then Beatrice's hands. "But as paying guests and when you're open for the season."

"We'd love to have you back," John said.

Saying a last goodbye, Beckett walked out first to the car, tightening her coat around her a little more as Castle opened the door for her. She smiled as he brushed some of the snow still on the roof and said, "You had this side."

"I may have, but I seem to recall someone blasting me point blank in the face with snow," Castle told her pointedly. "It was kind of a distraction."

"You deserved it," Beckett said simply before she got inside.

Castle shook his head, though he was smiling, and went around the car to make sure he and Beckett had gotten all the snow on and around it off. He had also helped John Kemp with the snow on the driveway; it was how he'd discovered the road was open since a snow plow passing by had answered the question he'd yelled to it. "Alright and so ends our stay at the Beach B&B, fans of alliteration there," he said as he started the car, relieved when it did so immediately. "And not, as you insisted, homicidal maniacs."

"Going to use that for a story?" Beckett asked with a smile as they headed back to the street.

"It's too Bates Motel for that," Castle said. "Too bad though, it would have been great to do that. So, are we playing Scrabble again?"

"I don't think so," Beckett said with a slight laugh. "I want to just relax."

"What, digging out the car was that hard?" Castle asked. When Beckett looked at him he quickly said, "Sorry."

"No, I'm kidding, I actually wanted to just look at my calendar for March," Beckett said.

"Is there a problem with going to San Francisco?" Castle asked before he got to the highway to the city.

"No, Julia's birthday," Beckett replied. "I keep forgetting to check the day of the week; well, I keep putting it off, telling myself I have time."

"Any plans for that?" Castle said, watching as she was looking at her tablet.

"No, but it's on a Monday and they have an in-service day at her school," Beckett said thoughtfully as she looked at the calendar. "That Friday we leave."

"What are you thinking about that has to do with her birthday?" Castle said, knowing that she wasn't concerned about their trip still.

"I'm thinking about letting Celia spend the night," Beckett said. "And having her stay for the party I want to throw for Julia."

"Are you going to have the boys and Lanie over… and Jenny?" Castle asked, remembering the small Christmas party he'd thrown where they'd all given gifts to each other and also to Julia since she'd been there as well.

"I might separate those into two parties, sort of," Beckett said. She noticed Castle was looking at her and said, "Have a lunch with them if they can manage to go in late to work, you too, and then a party later with some of her school friends."

"Am I invited to the second one or just the lunch before?" Castle asked.

"I don't even know if I'm going to do that, but if I do, then you can come to both," Beckett said. She then said, looking thoughtful, "It's still a little over three months though, I'm being ridiculously early."

"No, I've known parents to plan a long time in advance, definitely longer than three months," Castle responded quickly. "And it's pretty important for you, the first birthday you're spending with her." He paused and when Beckett asked him what was wrong he asked, with some slight hesitation, "Do you have any idea of what her previous four birthdays were like?"

Beckett couldn't answer that at first; whenever she had a reminder of Julia's mother like that the sudden anger was a little overwhelming. But she was able to recover in a short amount of time and said, "Some idea. From the pictures I've seen, I don't think Julia ever got a party, but… she did have a cake and presents, she seemed happy."

"Well, you'll have to give her the best party a five year old can have next year," Castle said, knowing from her pause and the tone of her voice that was what she wanted; even if she wasn't going to say it herself.

"We can try," Beckett said, smiling at him. She wasn't too shocked at his surprised reaction to her referring to them both again concerning Julia, but was pleased when that expression slipped into a smile as she knew he was remembering their talk the night before.

"If that's the case," Castle said slowly. "Then maybe planning three months before isn't too out there."

"Really, I was just thinking about having it be the basics. Her friends, letting them play-" Beckett said.

"Has she ever had them over at your place?" Castle asked.

"No," Beckett said, with a slightly guilty expression on her face. "I have wanted to, but things didn't work out for that. I should just have them come over on the weekends, but that's when Julia and I spend time together or with you. But I'll try harder next year. As I was saying though, just have her friends over, a cake, presents, that kind of simple party."

"She should enjoy it," Castle said. "Especially the presents part."

"I think that's you talking," Beckett said. She raised her eyebrow when Castle glanced at her, and continued with, "It'll be interesting to get all that ready."

"What's on your mind now?" Castle asked, sensing her thoughts had gone in a different direction.

"This time of year, you tend took look back on the past twelve months, see how far you've come, what you've accomplished," Beckett said. "And I've been doing that a lot myself even though I normally don't give it a second thought."

"It's been an interesting year," Castle said. "For you especially."

"For both of us I think," Beckett said. "But one thing I never expected New Year's Eve 2012 was to find myself with a daughter. Which I've said before, but-"

"It's hard not to think about," Castle said. "I agree, the way things happened, it's hard to forget, so I don't think anyone would really be surprised it's on your mind a lot."

"Less now though," Beckett said. "I'm more comfortable as a mother, so I don't think about how I came to become one as much as I used to."

"A good sign," Castle said with a smile.

Squeezing his arm for a moment, Beckett then said, "So about tonight…"

"You want to go back to your place?" Castle said jokingly. "Leave me all alone?"

Giving him a look, Beckett said, "I noticed you brought some of my daughter's gifts with us."

"How did you see that?" Castle asked in surprise.

"You had your suitcase open before I went downstairs," Beckett said. "So I couldn't help but see them."

"Then we can watch them tonight," Castle said.

"We'll be at your place," Beckett said with a smile.

"So you're giving your approval," Castle stated. "Come on," he told her to her glance at him. "If you didn't want to agree with me, you'd let me know. That I'm very experienced with."

Shaking her head, Beckett leaned back against her seat, watching the snow covered landscape they were passing. She closed her eyes after the sun on the snow became too much for them, and without realizing that she was tired, began to lightly doze, the gentle hum of the car on the road lulling her.

* * *

Walking into his bedroom, Castle turned towards his closet, seeing that Beckett was there with her suitcase. "Did you decide against that shower?" he asked her as she unzipped it.

"No," Beckett said simply. "Why, did you want to take one before me?" she asked in a teasing tone.

"No," Castle echoed her. He smiled when she turned to him in surprise and then walked out to the bathroom, him following behind.

Beckett didn't say a word when she heard his footsteps behind her, and turned around as the door closed. She leaned against the counter, waiting for him to step up to her which he quickly did. She was aware; had been aware since the night before; what he had wanted, but circumstances had prevented him from getting her to change her mind. But; as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him; she decided that she wasn't ready to give in to him so easily. "I did say I wanted a shower, I haven't changed my mind," she told him, her hands on his chest to hold him back.

"I got that," Castle said, leaning down to kiss her. He was a little surprised when, though she allowed him to do so; she then pulled away after a short amount of time. "Did I do something I'm not aware of? Or, wait, is it because I kept pelting you with snowballs when you were scraping off the windshield?" he asked, a little concerned.

"Not at all," Beckett said easily, trying not to smile at how concerned he was getting. "It's just; I wasn't planning on having a guest for this."

About to protest, Castle realized that he hadn't really let her have any say, just walked inside with her. "Okay, I'm sorry about that, I'll-" he began to say; letting her go; when she suddenly cut him off.

"Since I'm a guest here," Beckett said quickly. "I think I'll leave the answer to this question to you; would you like to join me?"

Smiling as he realized what Beckett was doing, Castle didn't bother to reply, only leaned down again, capturing her lips with his own. He started out the kiss, slowly, almost a little carefully. But when he felt Beckett responding, her arms wrapping around him, he deepened it rapidly, not wanting to waste any more time. When they pulled apart at the same time he whispered, as she began to unbutton his shirt, "You're so devious."

"I seem to recall someone being the same way a few weeks ago when I was trying to see if you were awake," Beckett said, biting her lower lip as he held her hands and leaned down, kissing her neck.

"I wasn't dragging it on for more than a few minutes," Castle said, using her momentary distraction to take off her sweater.

"You've got to be kidding," Beckett said, though she wasn't really angry as she finished with his shirt. She wasn't able to continue that though, as he kissed her again. She decided it didn't really matter that she'd had no control over the weather the night before; knowing he was joking; so she focused instead on the rest of his clothes, helping him with hers when he needed it.

Leading Beckett into the shower a couple minutes later, Castle wouldn't keep his hand off her, wanting to use both but finding that opening the door that way was a little difficult. Once they were inside though, and the water hitting them both, he held her close with one hand placed firmly on the small of her back while his other was cupping her cheek. He felt her hands along his chest, and he groaned slightly before pulling away to kiss along her jaw, down to her neck and finally her shoulder, feeling the water on his lips.

Drawing him back up to her mouth, Beckett only let herself lightly, barely brush her lips against his. She wanted a lot more, but was restraining herself, as she had gotten an idea and wanted him to put his plans aside for the moment. She let him take over then, feeling in his lips the urgency of his need. But that wasn't all she was aware of, and she reached down his chest again, stroking the damp skin lightly before she let her hands descend lower.

Hissing for a moment, Castle pulled away quickly, looking down into Beckett's eyes as her nails raked firmly over his abdomen. He reached in between them, holding her wrists up as they kissed lightly again. Then he let himself let go of her, to let her do as she pleased with a lot of his consent, and they kept on kissing, but that time it was more frantic, more hurried than they'd been before.

It took Beckett a moment to recover from Castle's lips going crazy all over her mouth and neck before she remembered what she'd had in mind. Looking up at him, she kissed him lightly once before she slid her hands down his chest and began to lean down when he grabbed her shoulders.

That time Castle kissed her once, and hard, before she could really react to it. He enjoyed her surprise, until she wrapped her arms around him tightly, holding on to him almost desperately as he proceeded to slip his tongue into her mouth. Not really keeping track of time; he only knew they kept that up until they absolutely had to breathe before they suffocated each other in a very pleasurable way. But he kept his hold on her, for a little longer, just wanting to feel her in his arms, slick skin sliding against his own. But finally he let her go, watching as she ran her hands over his chest once again.

With a slight smile as Castle's hands grabbed her hips, Beckett pressed a kiss to his chest, hearing him hissing in pleasure again. She then allowed herself to slide down after her hands on his body, feeling his intense gaze following her as she moved.

* * *

"Managed to get a hold of my publisher," Castle said as he walked into his room. He didn't continue, as Beckett wasn't in the room and he looked around before seeing her shadow moving in the closet.

"And?" Beckett asked, going out and meeting him instead in the doorway.

"I get another week," Castle said simply. "I thought you were set?"

"There was a sweater I wanted," Beckett shrugged. She turned and went back to her suitcase, pulling out a blouse and she paused when she discovered a picture frame underneath it.

"What is it?" Castle asked, seeing her pausing but not the reason why.

Beckett held up the picture she'd given to Julia for Christmas, a picture of her parents and in the adjoining frame a picture of her and her daughter. "Did you see her put this in?" she asked him.

"No, she brought it with her when I carried her to our room while I packed, but I forgot about it when she started playing with her dolls," Castle said. "You think she slipped it in there by accident."

Smiling, Beckett shook her head and tucked the frame further under her clothes before pulling out a sweater. "I think she let me have that since we were leaving," she told him. "You know, so I have that picture with me until I see her again."

"As a kind of comfort?" Castle suggested. When Beckett nodded he smiled and said, "She's a sweet girl."

"I know," Beckett said, going out to the bed. She was about to set down the sweater when Castle held onto her wrist, and sat on the edge in front of her. "Can I help you?" she asked him.

"Remember that bet I wanted to do, about our gifts for her?" he said.

"Yes, and the time for betting is actually over, it has been for six days. What's your point?" Beckett asked, holding her sweater draped over her arms.

"If we'd been betting, I think that picture wins the bet hands down," Castle said.

"Is this another case of you trying to manipulate me by complimenting me blatantly?" Beckett asked as she stepped to the side of him and set down the blue cashmere before starting to undo the first button on her blouse.

"Not really," Castle said, standing up and carefully moving her fingers out of the way. With her looking at him questioningly he said, "I just wanted to point out that it was a wonderful idea."

"Thank you," Beckett said, losing her questioning look as his fingers started to brush against her bare skin. When her blouse was open she glanced up at him as he raised his hands and tensed up in surprise as his hands slid over her shoulders before she allowed him to take it off of her, the fabric floating the ground. "You…" she began to say as he began to unbutton her pants, only having been with him in the shower two hours before.

Pausing, Castle wasn't sure how to explain the sudden rush of desire that had come on to him as he'd watched her, and he decided that he didn't really need to, he could convey that in a different way. He leaned down and brushed his lips over her jaw before kissing his way over to her lips. He kept them pressed together before he very carefully went back to undressing, giving her the chance to stop him. But as the seconds passed, and she was fully involved in their kiss, never making him take his hands off her, he got her permission, and he hurried to undress her, figuring part of the desire for her was stemming from the night before and having to suppress it more than once.

Beckett wondered how exactly they'd been talking about something mundane and then slipping into undressing one another. But the answer to that never came to her, and she was suddenly on the bed, her bare back brushing against the sheets before she felt Castle on top of her. She kissed him, and was a little surprised when he turned them around abruptly as they were doing that. She didn't hesitate, and quickly straddled him before she felt his hands holding onto her waist. Breathing quickly as they pressed their foreheads together, she kissed him hard as they coupled together, a jolt running through her body at the sensation.

Feeling her tense for a second, Castle slid his hands up her back as they remained as they were for a minute. He finally pulled back to look at her, groaning once as she shifted position, her feet hooked over his legs. He didn't question that, he actually found he couldn't, as she was suddenly starting to move, and he turned his attention back to her. He held her tightly to him as he thrust with her, soon finding her rhythm she was beginning to use. About to kiss her, he was a little taken aback when she slowed down what had been a faster pace, seeming to rock her hips against him, which drew out a groan from his mouth abruptly before he realized he was doing it.

A little proud of that reaction, Beckett cupped his face with her hands, and ran her thumbs over his skin in time with how her body was moving on him. She leaned down and kissed his lips, but only a brush before she pulled back to look back into his eyes. Not surprised to see how darkened they were with desire, she kissed him a second time and then leaned back in his hands as she finally gave him what she could read he was begging her for in his eyes. Moving faster again, she felt his hands grasp her as if for dear life, and his fingers slid along her skin, making her tremble for a brief moment before he bowed his head.

Taking her breasts, Castle suddenly felt wildly dissatisfied with how he couldn't really move as well as she could. Before he could stop himself, he suddenly flipped her around onto her back, not surprised when she stopped moving completely and they stared at one another for a long moment. He seemed to hear her unspoken words, and let her go; pulling away from her though he tried to follow her with his lips.

Having a hard time trying to resist Castle as he proceeded to caress her upper body and kiss her slowly, languidly, Beckett allowed him to take over for a while until she stopped him before he could kiss her again. But she failed to remember his free hand that wasn't supporting his weight, and a gasp slid out of her mouth against his lips easily as his fingertips ghosted over her mound, not stopping until he slid his hand around her inner thigh. She moved when she finally snapped herself out of it, and pushed herself up to the headboard, not surprised when Castle followed her; their eyes locked.

Leaning in close enough to her, Castle kissed her gently, just barely brushing his lips against hers. He pulled back, and when she didn't take the chance, he kissed her again, only slightly harder. He kept doing that a few more times, until Beckett finally responded, grabbing him and pulling him tightly to her as their mouths were crushed together. With the distraction, he started to try and spread her legs when she slipped away from him. It took him a second to recover from the shock of that, and he moved to follow her, as she lay down in the middle of the bed. Taking her wrists with his hand he held them above her head, watching her as he moved his body back down to hers.

Breathing roughly as Castle seemed to go a little crazy, kissing around her neck and shoulders, Beckett tried to keep up with his slightly harried thrusts. She had to wonder why exactly he had moved them around if it was only to have ended up lying down, but she wasn't feeling in the mood to question him about it. He was moving gradually up to her mouth, but never made it to her lips. She finally had to move him; a little irked; and kissed him hard before they pulled away, the pace they had fallen into not letting them get enough air to let that last for very long.

Moving away from Beckett again suddenly, Castle wondered; as he pressed his lips around her breasts and down her stomach in a straight line; if he had commanded himself to do it or if it was subconscious as it had been before. But she was grabbing him before he could get much further than her abdomen, and was pulling him up by his arm until she was pressed up against the headboard. Getting the point immediately, he slid back into her, and they were kissing deeply as they began to move together again. He felt her hand snake around his neck, and he took the chance with his free hands to run them up her body before cupping her breasts in his hands. "Stop?" he whispered against her lips as they were breathing heavily against each other, feeling her tensing against him at his touch.

Swearing that her head was literally spinning, Beckett tried to respond, but his hands were caressing her, fingers very careful. It was a shock, their bodies moving in stark contrast to the slow skimming of his fingertips. Finally she gave up and shook her head, using another kiss to let him feel her reply. She groaned out slightly into his mouth when one of his hands reached down and gently fingered her mound. She was a little irritated at his teasing her yet again, but he stopped shortly, his entire hand cupped over it and his middle two fingers rubbing at the swollen nub. She had to hold onto the headboard with one hand, and she squeezed her fingers tightly as his other hand was roaming her body. She knew he was aware of what his touch was doing to her and she knew also he was using that to his advantage. But with each brush of their skin; his fingers, her body; and the resulting rush of echoing electricity, she found she could have cared less as she was losing what little self control she had left by that time.

Holding on to Beckett as he felt her back suddenly grow tense against his chest, Castle tried not to sink his teeth into her shoulder, the last shred of restraint being torn from him as she lost hers. He soon had both his arms wrapped around her, hearing her moaning repeatedly in front of him. When they had both stopped, they were breathing heavily, and he was leaning against her. Once he felt that he could move and not collapse, he helped her down onto the bed where he kissed her lightly.

Beckett nearly smiled at that, since she had to wonder if it was to make up for such a rigorous bout or because he had led her on by stopping and even leaving her to move. Whatever the reason, she returned his kiss and cupped his cheek gently before he pulled away slowly from her.

"I swear when I came in here I wasn't planning on this," Castle said. "Though that was a nice gift for me, I was actually going to ask what you wanted to do for dinner."

"Are you sure?" Beckett asked with a smile. "You came in talking about your deadline."

"Okay, so I might have started out with that, but I wanted to eventually segue into dinner," Castle said.

"Ordering in will be fine," Beckett said, stretching her arms over her head. "I think I know now why you wanted to come back to the city."

"When I suggested that I thought Julia would be with us," Castle quickly reminded her.

"Still, there were no protests when she said she wanted to stay," Beckett said.

"Any protests now?" Castle asked, sliding his hand over her abdomen and curling his hand over her hip.

"No, not really," Beckett said, lowering her hand and grabbing his. They were quiet, still recovering, until she moved to get off the bed. "Let me go," she told Castle as she tried to get up and he held onto her hip.

"Where do you need to go?" Castle asked.

"Nowhere, but I didn't want to spend the rest of the day in bed," Beckett said. "There is tonight."

"Is that… are we back to innuendo or no?" Castle started to say, a little surprised.

"I think," Beckett said as he let her go and she was able to get up. "That we'll see what happens later on."

Breathing out once, Castle forced himself out of bed and got dressed as Beckett was leaving the room. When he'd finished and left, he saw she was sitting on the couch with his laptop.

"I'm only borrowing this," Beckett said as she looked up at him. "Because I remembered something about San Francisco."

"What made you think about that?" Castle asked. When she held up the travel book she'd given his daughter he said, "There's a reason I brought that."

"I should just buy you a copy," Beckett said. "But I don't blame you for wanting to keep looking at it."

"What did you remember," Castle said, sitting next to her.

"Alcatraz," Beckett said. "I forgot to mention that I never went while I was there because I never had a chance to order tickets beforehand. And the tickets sell out very quickly, so I was just going to look and see the times of the day, so when we get them-"

"We should just get them now," Castle said, going to his room again. When he came out he saw that she looked confused and he said, "Just getting a calendar."

"It's not too early though?" Beckett asked. "We're not even sure what we're doing for the week. I don't even know if I can get that week off yet."

"I'm pretty sure you will," Castle said, opening the calendar on his tablet and going to March of the next year. "You were able to get these two weeks off."

"True," Beckett said. "Okay, then think about this; what day will we go? The tickets are specific for departure, the day and the exact time too."

"Are you given a certain amount of time on the island?" Castle asked in surprise.

"No, you can leave when you want before night, it's just departing for the island is a more set time," Beckett said. "But really, if Julia and I do go with you, what day should we go, what time? Will your mom come with us?"

"You said you were going to call Julia before they left for the party right?" Castle asked. When she nodded he said, "No time like the present."

Looking at her watch, Beckett smiled and shook her head before she took her phone from the coffee table. "Hi Alexis," she told Castle's daughter when she had answered. "Sorry if I'm calling while you're getting ready for the party, but your dad has some questions."

"Not a problem," Alexis said. "Hey Dad," she said when she saw Castle appear on the screen of her phone. "What did you want to ask?"

"Beckett and I are trying to get the tickets for Alcatraz, and we need to know what day we're going," Castle responded.

"Oh, how would I know?" Alexis asked with a shrug.

"I was thinking, we get there on Saturday the twenty-second," Castle said as he looked at his calendar again. "We'll rest that day, and then I thought the twenty-third we could take it easy and go to Alcatraz, but later in the afternoon just in case Julia's got jet lag or anything."

"Actually," Alexis said slowly. "I'd love to take you and Gram on campus. Just a quick tour since nothing's really going to be open with Spring Break. But Diana's told me there are a ton of great little places around the school we could have lunch at. Oh, Beckett, if you and Julia wanted to come too you can."

"That would be nice," Beckett said, thinking for a moment. "I might take you up on that, I know Julia would love to see your other school too."

"Then let's head out to Alcatraz at about two thirty," Castle said, looking at the web site that Beckett had opened for him. "We'll go to Berkley around twelve, maybe a little before, which will give us enough time to take a tour and eat lunch before we get back to catch the ferry."

"Will your grandmother want to go with us to Alcatraz?" Beckett asked.

"Let me-" Alexis said when Castle and Beckett could see a pair of little hands on the bottom of the screen. "Wait a second!" she cried as Julia nearly made her drop her phone. "Here, take this and talk to your mom and my dad while I go ask Gram something, okay?"

"Kay, hi Mommy!" Julia said joyfully as she saw her mother on the screen.

"Hey sweetie, we got into the city okay," Beckett said with a smile. "And we're here at Castle's."

"Hi Castle," Julia said, waving to him.

"So how was it last night, you weren't scared were you?" Beckett asked her daughter.

"No, Alexis watched a funny movie with me," Julia said, smiling widely. "And Martha did too. It was funny, I want you to see it Mommy."

"We'll try and watch it once you're back home," Beckett said.

"Yes, please," Julia begged. "It was cute, it had little animals, but I never seen them before."

"Tell them what they were called," Alexis' voice suddenly came through the phone.

"They called them my… my onions!" Julia said, faltering for a moment before she said the word proudly.

Beckett bit the inside of her mouth to stop her laughter before she then said, "Really?"

"Minions," Alexis said, laughter in her voice. "They were called minions. And Dad, Gram said she'll join us the whole day, but after that she might be going to visit some friends that are in the Bay Area."  
"Okay, I'll get the tickets right this second…" Castle said, trailing off as he focused on his laptop screen.

"I'll let you go now," Beckett then said to her daughter. "But you have to let me know how the party goes. Did you take a nap earlier?"

"Yeah, Alexis said I had to 'cause I can try and stay up real late," Julia said.

"You can, I told her to do that," Beckett said simply. "But remember, it's okay if you fall asleep; I'm sure your friend Mari will end up doing that. Tomorrow I want to hear all about the party sweetie, you'll tell me right?"

"Are you and Castle going to a party?" Julia asked as she nodded.

"Remember I told you we're just going to stay here tonight," Beckett reminded her gently. "So you'll have a lot more to tell me. You better go and get dressed," she then said as she saw Alexis behind her daughter. "Goodnight and Happy New Year sweetie, I love you. Happy New Year Alexis."

"Happy New Year," the young woman said before the phone switched to her dad.

Beckett smiled as she watched Castle saying goodnight to Julia and then his daughter, wishing them both the same as she had. When he'd hung up and handed the phone back to her she asked, "Are we all set?"

"We are," Castle said. "You know, I'm looking forward to this, one of my favorite movies when I was getting into writing, was _Escape from Alcatraz_."

"Though you write about criminals being caught," Beckett said slowly as he handed her the laptop but she set it next to her phone on the coffee table as she followed him to the kitchen.

"Still, it was an exciting movie, have you ever seen it?" Castle asked.

"I have," Beckett said with a slight smile. "And while it is an interesting movie, I have my doubts anyone would really be able to escape from there."

"You really think so?" Castle said as he grabbed some pamphlets from a drawer. "I'll make the choice tonight," he said before she could grab them since they were all menus for Chinese restaurants.

"And what if I'm in the mood for someplace else?" Beckett asked.

"You'll just have to trust me then, won't you?" Castle asked. When she sighed, he knew that was her acquiescing, and he then told her, "You have the choice of wine tonight, or I can make you a drink of your choice."

"Thanks," Beckett said sarcastically though she was smiling. She shook her head as he turned and spread out the pamphlets on the counter, blocking her view with his body. She went over to the wine cooler and looked through it before choosing a red wine and she set it next to him, facing the other way so he wouldn't think she was trying to steal a look.

"Alright, I hope you're hungry," Castle said before he picked up his phone.

Beckett rolled her eyes as she moved to open the wine herself, since Castle was walking to his office. She poured out two glasses; though she contemplated just pouring one for herself to tease him about his insistence concerning dinner; and she shook hers a little, watching him through the open doorway and shelves as he walked back and forth. A slight smile reached her lips after a moment, and she walked over to his room, remembering something they had talked about earlier. She spared a quick glance for the bed with its disheveled covers, and then turned her attention to his bag he'd brought in and set on the dresser. Looking through the DVDs of Julia's she wanted to check before letting her daughter watch them, she picked one up and suddenly felt arms come around her.

"Do we have entertainment for tonight?" Castle whispered into her ear.

"I think we do," Beckett said, setting the movies down and turning to him, wrapping her arms around his neck before she kissed him, not letting him voice a response to her teasing, slightly seductive tone.

* * *

"I was pretty sure I had three options at that point, either throw a fit in front of this woman, cry like a baby and beg her to reconsider, or stomp out of there in a blind rage," Castle was saying as he picked up rice with his fork.

"And which of those did you end up doing?" Beckett asked, smiling still after laughing at his impression of a publicist he'd encountered before his first book was published.

"None, our mothers were friends, I couldn't really do any of that without word getting back to them," Castle said. "So I said I was disappointed that she hadn't enjoyed my manuscript, and I wouldn't take up any more of her time. Well, in a more polite tone of voice, I didn't want to make her angry at me."

"That was her loss," Beckett said. "I think those publishers that turned you down probably feel like Decca Records did once Beatlemania hit."

"I'd like to think so," Castle said before he chuckled under his breath slightly at Beckett's laugh. "Though it might not be on that grand of a scale."

"But still, you can't complain about the end result," Beckett said before she picked up some shu mai that he'd ordered from the restaurant he'd chosen; deciding to order Dim Sum for them.

"True, but those were some tougher moments for me to go through," Castle replied. He then looked thoughtful and said, "Actually, it's kind of a vindication when I see Denise these days, though I wouldn't rub it in her face."

"You're nicer than a lot of men would be," Beckett said.

"Of course I am. So anything you've gone through similar to that?" Castle asked her quickly when she rolled her eyes.

"That kind of rejection with major redemption later?" Beckett replied with a question of her own.

"Pretty much," Castle said. "And I'm not talking about the equestrian team."

"There's not really any redemption in that," Beckett said. "Unless you mean getting to ride Asturias?" When he nodded his head she laughed and said, "I don't think it counts, but there's not really anything I've gone through similar to your experiences."

"You're lucky then," Castle said. They ate in silence for a little before he finally asked, "How's the food?"

"Good, you made a good choice," Beckett said. "It was worth it to let you choose."

"Did you ever eat like this in San Francisco," Castle then asked, watching her for her reaction.

Smiling, Beckett quickly said, "Ah, I see now, I thought at first this was so you could prove yourself right. But you wanted to bring our trip into the conversation. Why are you so eager?"

"It's one of those places I've wanted to go to, but never really got around to it," Castle began. "When I would think of a new place to visit, it was never first in my mind. And there's also the fact you and Julia will be coming with me and my mother."

"That's true," Beckett said. "I'm a little excited for Julia's sake; it'll be her first out of state trip."

"Her first time on a plane too," Castle pointed out. "Hopefully she'll be okay with that."

"We'll be there with her, so it shouldn't be too bad for her," Beckett said thoughtfully. "Okay," she said, shaking herself and looking at him. "Ask anything you'd like about the city, what I've done before that we could do, restaurants, anything."

"I'll refer to my first question," Castle said.

"About the Dim Sum," Beckett stated. When he nodded she said, "I only went to Chinatown a few times, but the first time I went with my friend from the Equestrian team. I don't remember the name of the place we ate at; you know it might not even be there still. But it looked like it had been there a long time; there were these pictures when you first walked inside the building. There was a long flight of stairs and the restaurant itself was on the second floor. I remember that well because walking through the cold and then up the stairs really helped warm us back up. But where we sat, I think it had an amazing view of the Trans-America building, that might be another building though, I'm not sure I'm thinking of the right place."

"Sounds like a great place," Castle said.

"The food was good," Beckett said a little hesitantly. "Honestly," she said then to Castle's questioning look. "It's a little hard to remember, but they did have menus for the Dim Sum, which was strange since they're usually brought out by cart. But I think we had a pretty good time, that was my first time in Chinatown, and I loved it though I never got to go back to that restaurant after that one time. You should know though, it's not a high end establishment," she warned him.

"It's worth a try though," Castle said. "What about tourist places; we'll have to add Chinatown to the list of places to go."

"Julia would enjoy that," Beckett said. "We don't go too often to this Chinatown." She paused then and said, "Are you sure we should be talking about where to go between us? Shouldn't we include, I don't know, maybe Alexis and your mother?"

"We can think of places to go, well, you can, but whether or not we go for sure we'll all decide on together," Castle said. "Better?"

"Yes, alright, well, I've mentioned Golden Gate Park; there are a lot of things to do there. There's Fisherman's Wharf, North Beach, Union Square… those are just the places I can name off the top of my head."

"Union Square won't be a problem, we'll be staying there," Castle said.

"About that," Beckett said.

"You'll be staying in a room with me, unless you have an objection," Castle said.

Smiling briefly, Beckett shook her head and said, "You can catch the cable car line there to Fisherman's Wharf. I would love to take Julia on those. There's a lot there I want to take her to."

"I'm not surprised," Castle said, taking her empty plate. "I meant what I said."

"About what?" Beckett asked, turning to watch as he rinsed off their plates and forks.

"Going with you both; having a kid lets you go to the best places," Castle said.

"Is that the same mentality as having a kid to make it more plausible to see a cartoon?" Beckett asked as she stood and started to close the boxes of their leftovers.

"Basically," Castle said, a little distracted as he tried not to splash himself with water.

"We have time though," Beckett said simply. "Enough time to plan out the whole week-"

"Actually it's more like nine days," Castle said. "Well… actually eight days if you take out the time we'll be traveling."

"Still, there's time," Beckett said. "I'll buy you a copy of Alexis' book and you can look for yourself what you want to do."

"I can grab a copy myself," Castle said. "Let me take you and Julia to the bookstore," he then said as he dried off his hands. "I'll get the book and you two can look around."

"When?" Beckett asked.

"The day they come back," Castle said simply.

"I'll think about it," Beckett said. "You don't want to spend time with Alexis before she heads out?"

"They're coming back the second, so that gives me one full day; the third; to spend with her," Castle said. "So the second we can spend all together and then the next day, you and Julia do whatever you want."

"My dad's coming back from his cabin that morning," Beckett said. "I should spend the day with my family if you're going to spend it with yours."

Castle nodded, not really wanting to voice what he was thinking then; a realization that whenever it was they got married, there wouldn't really be as definitive a separation when they talked about their families; wondering if she was thinking the same though he got the idea, watching her, that she was. Shaking himself as she left the kitchen he called after her, "We've got about four hours, anything you'd like to do? A movie? Chess? Strip poker?"

Shooting him a look at the last suggestion, Beckett said, "The first one."

"Right, I'll let you choose," Castle said, having known she would turn down the suggestion, but wanting to throw it in just in case.

"You brought those movies, we should get started," Beckett said simply. "There was one with Paul in Red Square wasn't there?"

"Yeah, I'm interested in seeing that one," Castle said before he went into his room and grabbed the movie. "Did you ever visit there?"

"Once, it was a long trip, so it was only once and over a weekend," Beckett said, sitting down on one of the armchairs in his office. "But it's a stunning city."

"What about St. Petersburg?" Castle asked as he put the movie in the player.

"I went there too, closer to when I was going to come back home. I have to say, I liked it slightly more than Moscow," Beckett told him honestly.

Castle was about to press play on the remote when he paused and said, "I almost forgot dessert."

"We don't really need it," Beckett said. "Some coffee sounds good about now though."

"Right," Castle said before he walked over to the kitchen. He quickly prepared two cups of coffee, going as fast as he could so he wouldn't waste what time they had left before midnight.

Rubbing her thumb along the band of her ring, Beckett stood up suddenly when Castle appeared in front of her, and she just managed to stop before running into him. She quickly said an apology, and took the cup he held out for her saying, "Start the movie, I'm eager to see what they'll show. Also if Julia will be able to watch it now."

"With all the movies I got her, you could have a marathon of Beatles movies and their solo movies," Castle commented as he grabbed the remote.

"I might do that Friday night," Beckett said with a smile. She fell silent then, watching the screen as a white quote appeared on a red background and the movie began.

* * *

"So there are a lot of movies you can watch," Castle was saying as he helped Beckett into her coat.

"There are," she replied absently. "I do want her to see the Red Square movie, and the George Harrison one will be good. Anthology is waiting for a long time-"

"When can we watch the next disc?" Castle interrupted her.

"Tomorrow, if I feel like getting out of bed," Beckett said, turning away from him and putting her scarf around her neck. She smiled when he didn't reply; since she had waited until he was busy with his gloves to say that. She then said, "I'm guessing it's no problem to take the champagne up?"

"It wasn't the first time I did," Castle said simply. "Come on, we've only got fifteen minutes," he said, holding his hand out to her.

Beckett was quiet as they made their way up to the roof, and they went to the side where the fireworks would be the most visible and she glanced around behind them. "I didn't realize we'd be alone up here," she commented as Castle set the champagne flutes and bottle on the edge.

"I didn't either, usually there are some people up here," he commented absently as he started to open the bottle to have the glasses ready for after midnight. "Probably because of the cold; how're you doing?"

Smiling at his abrupt change of subject, Beckett said simply, "I'm fine, but I'm not going to want to spend too much time here once the fireworks are over."

"You know, you sort of gave me invitation to possible fireworks once we're back inside," Castle said with a slight smirk turning up the corner of his mouth as he looked at her.

"Oh so you heard me," Beckett said, a little startled he had but taking it quickly in stride.

"I make sure I do," Castle said, leaning down slightly, kissing her deeply on the lips. When he pulled away he kept his lips close to hers whispering, "In case you might give me a chance like that one."

Her lips on fire, Beckett said, "What time is it?" to get them both under control as she guessed that they were starting to get a little off track and remembering they were not in his loft.

"Two minutes," Castle said, he rushed to pour out the champagne and by then, they had a minute left. He held his phone up, and said, "Three, two, one…" Turning to her he said, "Happy New Year Kate."

"Happy New Year Castle," Beckett said, smiling back at him before he leaned down. She met him halfway, and their lips touched, at first softly, but their first kiss of 2014 soon became a little more passionate. She remembered having been trying to control them with what she realized had been their last kiss of the year, but forgot the difference between them as they held on to each other tightly, her heart pounding furiously as he pulled her close against him.

Castle and Beckett could have very easily lost themselves in that kiss that nearly turned into two. But the loud explosion of the first firework cut into that, and they parted, Castle picking up the flutes, handing one to Beckett, who quickly said a toast before they turned their attention to the night sky show.

"To 2014," she said, a wide smile on her face again.

"To 2014," he replied, smiling as well, the sharp tap of their glasses fading in the noise of the fireworks.


	12. Epilogue- New One Just Begun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Happy Xmas (War Is Over) by John Lennon, as mentioned in the previous chapter.

Watching as Castle poured champagne into her glass, Beckett said, "I don't think we need to finish the whole bottle."

"We can't really leave it open," Castle replied simply as he filled his glass again. "And it would be a shame to let it go to waste."

"Leave it for tomorrow," Beckett said with a shrug. "We can always have a champagne brunch."

"Really? Is that an order in brunch or are you volunteering to cook?" Castle asked, watching her as she took a sip.

"I think we'll be ordering in," Beckett said simply. "I'm not planning on moving from that bed until I absolutely have to." She leaned back and smiled slightly at his momentarily surprised expression before he leaned back himself, putting his free hand on the couch to her side, effectively trapping her where she sat. "Unless you have any other ideas?" she asked.

"No, you didn't give me a chance to think of anything," Castle said, sipping at his champagne. "And frankly I'm glad you didn't."

Beckett wasn't too surprised when Castle closed the gap between them, and she took his kiss gladly, his lips a lot warmer than they'd been on the top of the building. She felt a shiver run through her inwardly as she remembered their kiss once the fireworks had finished; both their lips nearly numb. But they'd felt enough, and decided things would be far better if they moved to his loft. As he pulled away then she slowly opened her eyes, watching him as he caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers. Her breathing quickened again, and she sat up, setting down her glass on the coffee table hurriedly.

Castle was going to ask if she wanted more, when Beckett kissed him once, very quickly. He knew what she was doing, so he put down his glass, and turned to her, pushing her carefully back against the couch. Before her back hit it, he was already kissing her, their lips almost fused together as her hands slid over the backs of his shoulders. Groaning slightly in the back of his throat at her touch that sent a thrill through him, he moved away from her slightly, easing up the pressure on their lips. But he didn't stop kissing her until they really had to. He looked at her, watching her carefully as she kept her eyes closed, wondering what she was thinking at that moment.

Beckett finally couldn't keep a straight face anymore, and she opened her eyes as she smiled slightly saying, "Are you wondering why I did that?"

"Not really, there's no need to explain it, I just hope you wanted it as much as I did," Castle said.

Laughing slightly as she sat up, Beckett quickly said, "I'd let you know if I didn't. And you know, I'm starting to realize why you're so eager to drink all of this." She picked up her glass and finished it before holding it out to him.

"I swear I don't want you drunk," Castle said, pouring more out for her. "Just…"

"Buzzed?" Beckett supplied with a smile.

"Sort of," Castle said, realizing how ridiculous it sounded as it was spoken. "Just, relaxed would probably be a better word. Ready for, whatever," he finished, waving his hand slightly.

Looking confused for a moment, Beckett then said, "Why are you being so vague, you're usually a lot more assertive than that."

"To tell you the truth, I'm not sure if you're leading me on or being completely serious," Castle said honestly. "I'm hoping it's the latter."

"You know, I think I like this," Beckett said, leaning back as she fought a smile. "You so unsure."

"So it's the former," Castle said. When Beckett just let a smile slowly curl the corners of her lips he let out a frustrated sigh and filled his champagne glass again.

Watching him, Beckett remembered what they'd been talking about in the first place and quickly said, "There's not really a need to relax me with something besides yourself. You do know that right?"

"I'm aware of it, but it's New Year's Eve… Day," Castle quickly corrected himself. "It's a special night." When Becket shrugged he said, "See, this is why I was vague, I don't want to lead myself up to something only to be painfully let down."

Unable to help laughing; since she knew Castle was joking by his tone; Beckett took a sip out of her flute and said, "Alright, then why don't we talk about something else if you don't want that."

"Sure, why don't we do something since you're in no hurry to head to bed," Castle said quickly.

"I thought we were doing something," Beckett said simply.

"Drinking? What you want to have a drinking game," Castle said. He sat up a little straighter and said, "I have some Scotch-"

"We had some last night," Beckett said with a smile as she covered his mouth with her hand. "And I thought we were talking."

Castle was a little startled at that, but then realized that she was again teasing him and he said slowly, "We are."

Recognizing that she was pushing a little too hard with that, Becket quickly withdrew, and she leaned over, kissing him on the lips softly. "I'm actually ready for bed now. Go ahead and save the champagne, and I'll see you in your room," she told him.

Without saying a word, Castle nodded and watched as Beckett left, and he stood, trying not to sigh in his disappointment. As he was putting away the bottle and rinsing the glasses, he had a sudden hope that she was trying to tease him again, but he tried not to put too much on that. After her leading him on repeatedly, he was a little tired of guessing and hoping she'd want something more than just innuendos. He walked to his room, and when he stepped inside he paused in mid-step when he saw his fiancée, left foot off the ground.

"I am sorry," Beckett said in slight contrition. She smiled at him over her shoulder and let her robe fall the rest of the way to the floor. "I was just trying to read you," she told him as she got on the bed.

"And you thought I was leading you on myself?" Castle asked, going over to her and sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Well, no, but you seemed to be holding back," Beckett said, thinking for a moment before she lay back, watching the way his eyes caressed her form as she did so. "I didn't want you to do that."

"I wasn't sure what you wanted," Castle said, snapping his eyes from her long legs; mostly exposed with the navy blue negligee she had on; to her face. "You weren't exactly helping me figure it out with how you were acting," he said, trying to keep his tone even so she wouldn't think he was angry.

"I think I can make it up to you," Beckett said, sitting up. She reached surreptitiously under her pillow and pulled out a length of black silk, holding it out to him.

His eyes wide when he instantly recognized it Castle asked, "Are you sure?"

"I'd like to go back to this at least," Beckett said, smiling to reassure him. "And I think I'm ready."

"You think or you are," Castle said, searching her eyes to see if she was being truthful.

"I am," Beckett said, trying to ignore the doubt rising in her.

"Okay," Castle said, not really sure himself. He shook it off then, and took her wrists, pressing them together before he took the silk, tying it loosely around her. "Good?" he asked, making her test his knot.

"Yeah," Beckett said, hoping her voice wasn't slightly off in tone. She smiled a little as Castle lowered his head slightly to hers, and she nearly sighed as he kissed her deeply, but very slowly.

Once he had moved back, Castle helped her lay down again, watching her put her hands above her head. He couldn't help but shudder slightly at the way the dark blue silk covering her breasts tugged at them, and he bent his head, kissing at her neck and sliding down further.

Closing her eyes tightly as she did her best to take in what the touch of his lips was doing to her, Beckett suddenly saw her hands, cuffed and slamming down on Harris Bremner, his body crushing hers to the floor as he tried to touch her body. Gasping at the memory, she pushed herself up, making Castle move quickly so she wasn't shoving him off the bed, and she began to struggle with the silk around her wrists.

"Easy," Castle said quickly as he realized what had likely happened at the panicked look in her eyes. He untied her wrists, and threw the fabric to the floor before he touched her bare shoulder, waiting for a flinch. He was a little taken aback when she didn't, and he gathered her in his arms as she was breathing heavily. He didn't say anything, wanting her to calm down first before he tried to talk to her. She remained rigid in his hold, and he had no idea if she was okay until she slowly pulled away from him.

"I tried," Beckett began. But she faltered, not sure what she wanted to say. So she quickly said, "Give me a minute, and we can try-"

"Not again," Castle said quickly, knowing how she was going to finish that. "And we probably won't try again for a long time. Not when it does that to you."

"It wasn't you," Beckett said, relief mixed with disappointment in herself at his words.

"And it wasn't you either," Castle told her firmly. "But why were you trying to bring that back?"

"It's been almost eight months, I thought I would be fine," Beckett admitted.

"Okay, well, I don't blame you for wanting to try that, but it's too much," Castle said.

"For you too?" Beckett asked, catching that in his tone of voice.

"I saw you laying there, handcuffed," Castle said, running his hand over his face as if to get rid of the image in his mind. "I thought you were dead for a split second. Seeing you tied like that, reminded me of that moment and it wasn't a lot of fun."

Sighing Beckett said, "I'm sorry for almost pushing you off the bed."

Shrugging Castle told her, "I should have just fallen off, would have been payback for you. I'm afraid at some point that's going to happen and it'll be a lot worse than what I did to you." When she smiled he wrapped his arm around her waist slowly, to see if she was alright with it. She didn't stop him, so he pulled her against him so she leaned her head against his shoulder.

Beckett let herself wrap her arms around him, trying her best to get rid of the flashback she'd had and she said, "That doesn't happen all the time, just in case you're thinking I'm ignoring a larger problem."

"I realize that," Castle said. "And it was just twice that this happened; considering what occurred, we're very lucky it wasn't more." They were quiet for a moment and when she raised her head he asked, "Do you want to just get some sleep?" He was surprised when instead of answering, she kissed him, and lightly, gradually. He seemed to read her intent with that, and parted his lips, sliding his tongue as slowly as she had kissed him into her mouth. Though he hadn't wanted to, the kiss went out of their control and they were clutching at each other tightly. He pulled back abruptly, and breathing hard, reached up to touch the aquamarine on her chest, waiting for her to react.

Feeling as if she needed to move things along much faster with that, Beckett reached up and started to pull off the wide straps of the negligee. She jumped slightly when Castle suddenly grabbed her hands, and she looked into his eyes, a little shocked at his quick shake of his head. "What is it?" she asked, wondering if he himself wanted to put the moment behind them and go to sleep.

Looking into her eyes, Castle didn't say a word as he made her lay back on the bed yet again. But that time he wasn't intending to let her get up again. He kissed her, deeply, making sure he was keeping his weight off her in case she would have another flashback from that. When she broke off the kiss for them to breathe he stopped her from unbuttoning his shirt. "Not yet," he told her, kissing her fingers hurriedly before he moved to her neck.

"But…" Beckett began to say before she closed her eyes tightly in pleasure and forgot what she was going to say as his hand ran over her body, stroking her through the blue silk.

"We have time just… just let me have this," Castle said, not really wanting her to realize his plan yet. He kissed her briefly, and then turned his attention to the rest of her body. He cupped her right breast through the negligee, trying not to shudder too hard at the feel of it through the fabric. He gently thumbed the nipple, feeling it stiffen underneath his touch, and he kissed her hard then, trying to remember what he was going to do before she distracted him without even meaning to.

When Castle had pulled away, Beckett licked her lower lip briefly, and tensed as she could taste him there, and his lips were suddenly kissing around her breast. She shifted, a little moan escaping her mouth before she could stop it, the pleasure that radiated from his touch was unending and she reached for the back of his neck to try and pull him up to her again.

Though he was relieved she seemed to be doing fine so far, Castle kept her from pulling him up until he'd gone over both breasts, that moment becoming more than just showing her she was with someone who was not going to abuse her. He went back up to her lips quickly as he realized what he was doing, while he had originally planned to show her he wasn't going to hurt her; he was startled to figure out he was trying to literally worship her. That shook him, but when they parted, breathing harshly, he decided that if it was what he was doing, he wasn't going to fight it.

Beckett was a little taken aback when Castle kissed her hard yet again, but she went along with it willingly. She held onto him tightly as he turned that kiss into another, and she was almost gasping for air as he trailed his lips down over her chin, her neck, and finally to her scar. Her breath grew heavier as he brushed over the skin; then traced it almost delicately with his fingertips before he slid one hand under her negligee strap. She was more than ready to get it out of the way, her skin on fire by then, and she rose slightly off the bed, only enough though to help him with the straps, exposing her upper body. She was a little amazed he was still dressed, but that thought was completely lost as he pressed an open mouth kiss to her left breast, his heavy breath hot on her skin, moistening it intensely.

Moving quickly to her nipple, Castle carefully proceeded to suckle at it, waiting for any kind of negative reaction from her. But when she slid her nails over his hair, he groaned slightly and doubled his efforts, soon going to her other breast. He stopped when he needed to breathe, and he moved back up so they were face to face to kiss her. While he was keeping her busy with that, he slid his hand down her abdomen, and slowly underneath the rest of her lingerie which was gathered at her waist. He waited again, wanting to make sure she was consenting. She quickly kissed him roughly, and he moved from her when they had stopped at the same time, pulling off the navy blue silk and tossing it aside to the floor. He went back to her breasts then, nuzzling at them both before he let her draw him up to her lips again.

A little surprised when Castle let her do that, Beckett made the most of that kiss before she let him go, her breath coming fast and hitching with her gasps and moans with every brush of his lips. She was trembling though she wasn't aware of it, and her skin was almost aching in the pleasure that he was giving. She felt a little guilty that he was doing everything for her, and it was then she had the sudden realization he'd had as well before her; it was much more than her getting over the flashback.

Feeling his shoulders being grabbed before he could go any lower, Castle quickly moved, and was a little surprised when Beckett kissed him fiercely. He wasn't sure why she was doing that so abruptly, but he returned the kiss, and with the same energy she had, before they parted with a heavy gasp for air. He immediately went down her body again, traveling down her stomach, until he finally reached the junction of her legs. Touching the right leg, he was relieved when she moved both, giving him her definite consent. He took things slowly still; kissing his way up her inner thighs until he was at her entrance, and he placed a firm kiss there, hearing her sigh once. That spurred him on, and he proceeded to pleasure her, wrapping his arms around her legs and holding her closely to him.

The result of Castle's tongue sweeping repeatedly over her already aroused sex was leaving Beckett dizzy, unsure if she was going to be able to withstand him long enough to allow him to enjoy the action as well. That suddenly reminded her that he had done the same thing to her in the shower, and she tried to tell herself to return the favor when he had finished, but it was a little lost as her hips started to move of her own volition against him, his fingers of his right hand suddenly joining in, and rubbing firmly at the bundle of nerves above his mouth.

Holding Beckett down with one hand was a little hard to do at first; just because she had moved suddenly; but she eventually calmed and he was able to focus his full attention on her once again. He was a still a little amazed he was doing all of that to her, fully clothed; they usually preferred their clothing to be out of the way quickly when they were intimate. But he definitely wasn't immune to what he was doing just because he was dressed and he tried to put that out of his mind, though it was difficult. He kissed her thigh then, to drag things out for a little more, and felt her skin breaking out into goose bumps. He moved back to her mound and proceeded to pleasure her without stopping, letting himself speed up, until he could feel her almost writhing as she moaned and cried out with each sweep of his tongue or rub of his fingers.

Unsure of the time, and not really carrying about it either, Beckett lost her last shred of control, and her back arched slightly as she let herself react vocally, hoping that Castle could hear her as he kept his tongue working along her sex. When she finally came back to herself, she was breathing heavily and was pleasantly sated, feeling her skin covered in a thin sheen of sweat as she raised her head to his kissing at her abdomen, working his way up. "You didn't really have to do that," she whispered as he pressed his cheek to her shoulder. "At the very least you could have let me take off your clothes."

"They'll come off eventually," Castle said simply though he was a little desperate to get them off.

"Now's a good time," Beckett said, sitting up and making him do the same. As he kissed her she still began to unbutton his shirt, knowing he was trying to distract her. Once she had his help in taking it off his arms, she wrapped her arms around his neck, letting him distract her fully. She only let him do that for a short time though, and then let her hands slip down in between them, working on the fly of his pants as he moved from her lips to her neck.

Castle finally gave in, and helped her remove the rest of his clothes before he got back on the bed, kissing her again as a means to distract her. He felt her trying to reach down and grab his erection, but he was quick to put a stop to that. He didn't want to stop his original idea of making everything about her, so he grabbed her wrists, quickly sliding his hands up to hers so she wouldn't flashback again. He kept their mouths close as he laid her back, pulling away only so he could breathe. As soon as he had her on her back, he paused, kissing at her neck and shoulders as she wrapped her legs around him immediately. He could almost feel the impatience flowing off of her, but held out a little more, just wanting to make sure he'd given her enough time to really want him once again.

Breathing heavily as she could feel Castle's hand cupping her breast again, Beckett tried to speak, wanted to tell him to hurry as she was starting to get annoyed at his delaying. But she was enjoying his ministrations, his mouth drifting to the junction of her shoulder and collarbone, and she couldn't really form the words as she seemed to be moaning or gasping a little every time she tried to open her mouth. Finally she couldn't take it anymore, and she grabbed Castle's hand off her breast, putting it in between her legs and breathing harder as his fingers slightly moved against her slick folds. While he was busy with that, she curled her fingers around his arousal, feeling him jerk slightly against her body.

"Not now," Castle hissed as she began to stroke him. He quickly moved his hand, grabbing hers with damp fingers before he pulled it back up out of the way. Moving slightly, he found that she wasn't about to stop as she helped him getting him to slide easily inside of her. They both exhaled sharply at nearly the same time in the same way, as if in relief; which he knew he himself was feeling. Waiting again, Castle kissed her deeply, and wasn't too surprised when Beckett began to thrust up against him, making him groan in pleasure at the sensation. He held down her hip with one hand as he pulled away to look into her eyes, and only then did he allow himself to move; but he kept his hand where it was, wanting her to see what he was planning before he let her go.

The very slow, deliberate movements he was making at first started to irritate Beckett, but as he continued, she relaxed slightly. She looked up into his eyes as he was moving, and she got that sense again that things were much more than him comforting her. She reached up, and held onto his shoulders as she started to move in time with him. He let her go carefully she could tell, but she didn't try to speed things up, matching him effortlessly. She felt her heartbeat speeding up, her body shaking imperceptibly, as he lowered his head to hers, kissing her deeply.

Though he'd wanted to make things about her, Castle was unable to stop himself from taking some of the pleasure that Beckett was giving him. So he'd used that first kiss to try and refocus his attention to his plan. But the kiss slipped into a second, and then a third before he had completely forgotten everything except just trying to make sure he wasn't alone in feeling the gratification in the way they moved together. He started to move a little faster, and kept doing so until they were way beyond taking things leisurely. But she was enjoying it and he could easily tell it was a lot, so he didn't try to stop, letting things happen as they were, but making sure he was giving her more than what their bodies were providing in the way of satisfaction.

Putting her hands on the back of Castle's head, Beckett led him to her lips, and they both brushed them against each other, in an unspoken agreement before he deepened it. She had wanted to build up to that a little, but once his mouth was firmly on hers; she decided it didn't really matter. Sliding her hands down the back of his head she had to hold onto his shoulders as he suddenly moved so he was sitting up. She kept her legs wrapped around him and let him break off from her lips to her neck, descending rapidly to her breasts. Her head tilted back slightly in pleasure as he took them fervently, and his hands soon came into play. She was a little dizzy with his touch and their bodies still moving together, so it was a shock when he suddenly stopped.

Before Beckett could protest that, Castle was moving them back around again, and he lay on top of her, still inside her, but not moving as he traced her lips with his fingers before he kissed them. Feeling her slightly struggling against him, he began to move again, another jolt that ran though him; though much more pleasurable than when he'd stopped. When she cupped his face in her hands; after they pulled away at the same time; he let her kiss his cheeks, lips, all over his face, feeling her desperation in each touch of her lips. He stopped again, wondering if it was a little strange he felt a bit proud of the heavy groan of disappointment that she made once he'd done that.

Though she didn't want Castle to stop, Beckett had to admit that she was finding the time before he would move again something that was almost as good as his making love to her. She was breathing heavily as he remained still, and she glanced up at him, seeing he was watching her. Before she could really respond to his gaze, she was suddenly throwing her arms around his neck as he turned them around, putting her on top again. She took it in stride, and that time sat on her knees, moving before he could really stop her. She kissed him at the same time, to make sure he wouldn't, wanting to feel that second when their hips slammed together that made her entire body ache with the pleasure and wanting more of it badly.

Responding to the kiss, Castle held her tightly to him as he ran his hands all over her back before he held onto the small of it. Slowly pulling away after enough time had passed, he caught his breath for a moment before grabbing her hips. He felt her falter, and knew she was thinking he was going to stop her. But he merely helped her move faster, groaning as she hissed out a breath between her clenched teeth in response to the change in their rhythm. With her a little distracted, he flipped them around, and began to take her harder than she'd been moving a second before.

Wrapping her arms and legs tightly around him, Beckett kissed him, but only for a brief moment though it was deep. She dodged his lips, and felt the groan of frustration in his chest against her breasts. She kissed him again, but like before, only let it last a moment before she was turning her head away. Her plan was to tease him; a little like he was doing to her; but he suddenly moved, getting up on his knees as she did the same. She wasn't too surprised when he cupped the back of her head firmly, and kissed her hard. She moaned against his lips, the sound distorted until he pulled away and suddenly slowed down, his hands on her hips again to make her do the same. She was breathing hard, staring into his eyes as he was doing the same to her, their bodies moving effortlessly together in their new pace.

Castle eventually stopped and made her do the same before he kissed her slowly, and lay her back, not wanting to do that anymore. He was more than ready to feel her losing control while she was surrounding him. He proceeded to move again, faster which made them both groan out in unison before he kissed her on the lips a second time. He groaned out loud when she pulled away after a moment, and knew she was going to start that again. Before she could though, he laced his fingers through hers, and moved her arms up above her head. He was careful, not wanting to push things too far after he'd been so careful up to that point. But when she let out a heavy moan, he was spurred on, and leaned down, kissing her lips, neck and breasts until she was starting to move erratically.

There was too much building up in her body, and Beckett suddenly let go of Castle's hands, and wrapped them around his neck. She was lost then in a sudden haze that made her eyes shut tightly together, the pleasure of her orgasm becoming more than just a simple end to what they were doing. She was screaming, not sure what, but it was with a tone of complete ecstasy, and she held on to Castle as tightly as she could, her nails raking over his back in the process.

Groaning and then yelling out her name as he joined her in her climax, Castle wasn't ready to stop moving, though his body was telling him he needed to stop. He wanted to feel her again, wanted her to have more as well, so he tried to thrust faster, but it was almost impossible. It was enough though for them both to fall over the edge, and much quicker since he suddenly changed the angle of his hips, managing to almost ram into her body and rubbing her the nub at the apex of her legs in between them as he moved in and out of her. They were both yelling; it may have been words, or just random sounds that they had no control over. He didn't care, it was intense, and he knew that she was feeling the same as he did. That time though, he did stop, thoroughly exhausted and once his body had ceased its movements, he tried not to collapse on her, instead carefully pulling from her and laying on his back, bringing her quickly with him, the room filled with their heavy panting.

Trying to speak, Beckett wasn't quite able to do so, breathing too hard to be able to take a breath so she could. She paused then, waiting to recover slightly but when she had she looked up at Castle she kissed him, brushing her lips against his. She wasn't too surprised when in response he pulled her on him to deepen the kiss. Though they had just been panting for air, they were kissing hard and frantically, until finally she had to breathe again and reluctantly pulled back. She waited again to speak, and once she felt she could do so without gasping out words, said, "You didn't have to do that… before, but thank you."

"It wasn't like I was being forced to," Castle said with a shrug, holding on to Beckett so she couldn't move. With his right hand he reached up, and began to stroke her hair before saying, "We don't need to do that again."

"I know," Beckett said with a frustrated sigh, knowing he was talking about her trying to bring their light bondage back into their love making. "I was hoping I was finished with that but…"

"It doesn't make you weak," Castle said hurriedly, putting his hands on the small of her back. "That you're getting flashbacks. The fact that you could do anything at all sexually after going through that proves it."

"I almost thought you were going to take full credit for that," Beckett said with a slight smile.

"How can I do that?" Castle scoffed. "Everything's up to you. Though I have to say I must have done something right, never got a knee to the groin did I?"

Rolling her eyes, Beckett then leaned down, kissing him lightly on the lips before he cupped the back of her head with his hand to hold her for a little while longer. When they pulled away she said, "You may have."

"That's pretty much a yes," Castle said with a slight laugh as he let her go so she could slide to the other side of the bed. He followed her and stayed on his side, his head on his hand. "Very different from last year," he commented after he watched her stretch her arms above her head.

"We were almost drunk last year if I remember correctly," Beckett said. "That's why I was against drinking that entire bottle of champagne. I wanted a clearer head when we went to bed. Though that didn't diminish from what we managed to do that night."

"No, it didn't," Castle said. He looked at the wall then but he didn't really see it, instead remembering New Year's Day after midnight a year before. "Those were some interesting pictures."

"They were," Beckett said, shaking her head though she was smiling. She reached up and touched his cheek, turning his head down to look at her. "Besides that though, it was nice."

Castle was watching her a little intently then, so he didn't comment on her word choice. Instead he leaned down and kissed her, wrapping his arm under her body and holding her tightly as they proceeded to take quick turns exploring each other's mouths before he moved back slightly. He could feel her breath, sharp against his lips, and he couldn't stop himself, kissing her again harder, his lips immediately aching at the sensation.

With both her arms wrapped around him, Beckett that time took over, drawing him on top of her body. After a bit she used her right hand and grabbed his, pushing it down the side of her form. She let him go when he easily took over; able to tell what she wanted; and she couldn't stop herself from slinging her leg around his. "If you-" she started to say when they pulled apart at the same time and stared at each other. But he cut her off with another kiss, but that one was very careful and she sighed, slightly relieved since she suddenly felt a little drained though she wasn't sure why.

"We've got time tomorrow," Castle said absently as he pulled away and then lay on his back, bringing her with him.

"Are you talking to me or yourself?" Beckett asked, letting him wrap his arm around her but not laying down yet.

"Myself," Castle said honestly. "You sound like you're tired though."

"I thought you would be too, you were doing a lot of the work," Beckett teased him.

Smiling slightly, Castle was going to respond to that, when she leaned down, and kissed him. He held her tightly to him as he moved them around yet again, laying her down. He couldn't stop himself, and he ended up settling in between her legs, their hips pressed together by the time he moved to breathe. "Damn it, sorry," he said, about to move.

"No, I don't think I'm necessarily ready to sleep at this point," Beckett said, stopping him. "But we're sleeping in a long time tomorrow," she told him seriously, smiling when he nodded in complete agreement. They kissed again, a far simpler kiss than what they'd been exchanging that night, and when they parted she said, "A lot better than last year."

"So that means each time we celebrate, they'll be getting better and better," Castle pointed out to her, trying not to smirk as she'd been so exhausted that night she'd fallen asleep almost the second they'd finished making love the year before.

"That's the idea, but it depends on what happens each New Year's Eve that's going to determine if it was better than the year before," Beckett said simply. "Were you able to follow that?" she asked as he looked her.

"No, I got it, and I think if we spend it doing what we did tonight it'll be as good or better," Castle said.

"Yes, I was waiting for that," Becket said, rolling her eyes. "And we'll see what happens; we have another three hundred and sixty five days." She fell quiet then, a little surprised at herself for thinking that far ahead in the future. She never really allowed herself to do that, since she had been so unsure of where their relationship was going to go, she'd been taking things day by day. But knowing it was very likely they had more days together wasn't terrifying her as a couple past boyfriends had done when they'd discussed a future with her. She had to wonder what exactly it was that made Castle so different, but she shook herself from her thoughts, seeing he was looking at her.

"Tired now?" Castle asked, wondering what exactly had been going through her mind.

"No, I'm good, just, thinking," Beckett said slowly. She stared down at him for a moment, and then leaned down, kissing him slowly, and quickly again, watching him closely when she pulled back. When he tugged her down to him again, she let him, almost smiling but his lips crushing hers cut it off swiftly.

Feeling the way Beckett was pushing against him, Castle wasn't sure if she was yielding to him because she wanted more, or if she was doing that for him. He briefly recalled that she had tried to pleasure him before he stopped her, and he pulled back asking, "You're confusing me a little," looking into her eyes to read her expression.

"When I say I'm not tired I don't kid around," Beckett said, taking the chance to smile then. She brushed her lips over his and reached down, running her hand down his chest before he grabbed it. "You don't want to?" she asked in surprise since he didn't really stop her when she came on to him that way.

Thinking for a moment, Castle said, "There's a reason I focused most of everything before on you. Well, besides the fact I was just eager to do all that. I wanted to start the year out good for you and…" trailing off as he shrugged.

"That is incredibly cheesy," Beckett said, looking at him seriously. Before he could protest she then smiled and said, "But sweet, thank you. However-"

"Wait, there's one thing I wanted to suggest," Castle said. "We get some sleep now, and sleep in, a long time as you mentioned, tomorrow. Once we get up we have time and we can just let things develop as they will. Knowing you, probably will be pretty fast."

Letting out a frustrated sigh, though she didn't exactly mean it, Beckett said, "I don't think I agree exactly with that plan."

"Okay," Castle said quickly. When she shot him a look he shrugged and said, "I don't really want to argue with you."

Beckett shook her head, and lay on her back, pulling Castle with her saying, "I prefer this a lot more than sleeping."

"Then I think I have no other choice than to follow your lead," Castle said seriously before he leaned down and kissed her slowly.

Throwing her arms around his neck, Beckett took his lips eagerly, and together they very easily began to make love; in spite of being tired and his so called plans to wait for the next day to be intimate again. She then threw herself into the moment, forgetting everything else as the sensations he was quickly bringing to her were enough to take her complete attention.

A little surprised at her eagerness, Castle found it an intense joy, and he put everything he could into taking her, making sure to go slowly, carefully. He began to kiss around her neck and shoulders, trailing down to the junction of them, and the sigh that escaped her lips drove him to kiss her mouth as she responded immediately, willingly to him, filling him with a surge of arousal. He moved around her upper body with his mouth, his free hand caressing her, wanting her to feel what exactly she did to him and with the way she responded to that, he was assured she wasn't impervious to it, making him a little desperate, wanting to feel more of her as she clung to him in desire.

* * *

Quiet as she watched Castle sleep, Beckett wondered idly how long she had been laying there. She wasn't exactly sure, but thought it might have been at least twenty minutes since they'd made love. She sighed under her breath as she recalled that; he had been incredibly careful with her and she swore she could still feel the touch of his hand on her skin, sliding down and making her feel every moment until he had disappointingly pulled away.

In the end it had been as amazing as their first time that night, and the only thing that had gotten her to stop had been the exhaustion finally coming on from her exertions both times. But while Castle had easily fallen asleep, she found she was unable to which confused her. She guessed she was tired, but not to the point where she was sleepy. She turned onto her side and pulled the covers over her still naked body as it was cold, and as she did that, the diamonds in her engagement ring caught her eye.

Holding her hand in front of her face, Beckett was still slightly startled to see it, though by then she was more comfortable with the band around her finger. She had to wonder how things would go once she and Castle returned to work and they would have to hide even more of their relationship from their colleagues and friends. But she found she was far happier having the ring; even though she wouldn't be wearing it on a permanent basis yet; than it not being there at all. That thought was not a new one, but it was still startling. She had gone through a lot of her relationships, not expecting much from them, since she had literally run from them when she saw them as getting too serious, too afraid things would end with her hurt and after what she had gone through losing her mother, she was loathe to have to experience it again with someone else she cared for. But things had ended up going far different than she had expected once she and Castle had begun their relationship.

It had been unlike her past relationships, and again Beckett knew it was because of Castle himself. She had already admitted to herself that she enjoyed it, that she did love him, before she had ever met Julia. She was a little unsure still of being hurt, of losing what she had with him which was significant because for almost six years he had been there; a constant in her life and one she'd come to accept and appreciate for more than just that as they'd become closer. So while she knew it was a risk, she was ready to take a step further with him, gambling a little on what he felt for her to do so.

Castle suddenly moved then, turning onto his side which shook Beckett from her thoughts as his hand lay on her stomach. She reached down and grabbed it before sliding it over her side as she turned onto hers, facing away from him. He didn't really move in response so she relaxed and sighed deeply as his touch reminded her of earlier in the night and how he'd been with her.

Though her risking her emotions with him was unusual for her, Beckett was a little surer of that than anything else between them. The way he treated her, the way he had supported her through more challenging moments, the way he had stepped up to become a father figure towards her daughter; she found was ready to face their future.

That made her pause a little in her train of thought yet again. The fact that she could very easily use the word their made her realize the change that had come over her in that year. It wasn't a change that made her different, it affected her mentality, and thinking it over she decided didn't mind it. It would take a little getting used to as she had always been on her own until adopting Julia, but since then, it had made that easier as well. She couldn't help smile slightly to herself, thanking her daughter in her mind for what she had done for her without even knowing, as being able to think in that way something she appreciated. And with that, she relaxed a little, falling asleep before she realized she was doing so.

Beckett would never be able to figure out later how long she had been asleep; she only knew that when she'd woken up the covered windows were brighter with dawn. She came awake sighing slightly as she felt Castle trailing his lips down her throat and she reached down, cupping his cheeks to bring him up to her lips. Kissing him deeply, she felt him pushing the covers away from their bodies, and she took him to her once he had finished.

Not having had any clue what Beckett had been thinking about earlier; about him; Castle carefully made love to her as soon as he had made sure she wanted it as much as he did. He kissed her hard, explored what he could of her body, remembering the night before and the time he'd spent doing that as well; wanting to repeat the experience urgently.

Holding onto the back of his head as his lips trailed over her upper body, Beckett could feel his need for her. She tilted his head up, and kissed him yet again, that time even harder than she had before, their lips crushed together until they needed to breathe. Most of what happened after that tended to be more of a blur to her she would recall later, coming out of a deep sleep into making love with Castle. But she would definitely remember the pleasure, recalling it long after they'd reached the edge very close together, kissing frantically in response to that. She lay on her side again after they'd parted with a few more kisses; more leisurely as they didn't feel the same need as before; and he pressed up close behind her, kissing at her shoulder.

"Happy New Year," Castle whispered into her ear.

Smiling widely at that Beckett turned enough so she could look at him and said, "You said that already."

"Doesn't hurt to say it again," Castle shrugged. "Kind of a blessing for you this morning."

"Happy New Year," Beckett said before he leaned down to kiss her lightly. She cupped his cheek in her hand before he pulled away, and she brushed her lips up his jaw then, fully turning as he moved his arms to wrap around her. She whispered carefully into his ear then, feeling his fingers sinking into her back with each word spoken, "I love you."

"I love you too," Castle replied simply once she had moved back enough so they were looking into each other's eyes. He returned the smile she gave him, and held her tightly as they brushed their lips against each other's, the action seeming to speak more for them than anything more passionate could.

Cupping his face in her hands as they parted, Beckett looked into his eyes and saw a reassurance of what she had been thinking earlier about him as his gaze seemed to be a mix of desire and adoration. She pressed her forehead against his, and their lips met in another slow, gentle kiss that quickly became far more as the diamond in her ring began to catch the dawn light forcing its way into the room onto them both while their bodies intertwined once more.


End file.
